Hi there
I was doing my PC 'chill out session' this afternoon with a good look through the website, and came across this link about feeding Ducks and Geese at our local Parks
http://www.duckrescuenetwork.org/duck_care.html#park
It is very interesting, and it shows that we need to be careful how we feed our feathered friends in a local park where there are a lot of people who feed birds with all sorts of foodstuffs for humans - this can cause a build up of rotten foodstuffs, and can cause problems with diseases.
I read any article a while ago that a woman was fined £75 for feeding ducks bread in her park. Luckily the fine was dropped. This was because the Park Warden wanted the birds to eat their natural food - vegetation!
The oddly named 'disease' Angel Wing renders the birds wings to become distorted so the bird cannot fly.
So this is something we all have to look out for as this is caused by a diet caused by bread and cakes and is not benefical to the birds at all.
Anyway this is always worth remembering!
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Thanks for the link and the reminder... 75 pounds fine? Woah...!
I read somewhere that giving birds bread shorten their lives.... hmmm.
'Dip a dee dah, dip a dee ay, we're not seeing any birds to-day...'
Hi Tern
It makes me think this may be the case in the future .....a £75 fine..for feeding our Park birds.
This is what the link quotes for bread feeding:
THEIR HEALTH ......ducks are fed human food (especially bread or crackers) their organs become engorged and fatty, which can cause them to suffer from heart disease, liver problems and other health complications. Bread also has very few nutrients, and can get compacted in a bird's crop. Many rehabilitators see "bread-impacted crop" in sick and distressed park ducks......
Also feeding Ducks and Geese make them very aggressive towards their own kind, and they become their own worst enemy with people and that is not good either
A very aggressive Swan at Cambridge got the nickname of ASBO because he attacked people as they went by on their boats - either this must have been food based, or he was stating his territory. Hope that he is alright despite of his bad reputation