Help Protect Our Waterfowl
To ducks and geese, people food is junk food. Feeding them harms both the birds and their surroundings.
Many colorful ducks and geese live in Fredville's parks and neighborhood ponds, and residents love seeing them. Tossing bread to the ducks is a cherished family pastime for many, but bread and other human snacks are bad for the birds. Their natural habitat already gives them all the food they need to thrive.
A few crumbs or a dropped french fry may seem harmless. The trouble is that as soon as one kind-hearted visitor leaves, another shows up, and soon the birds are living almost entirely on handouts.
What's wrong with human food?
Bread, popcorn and chips may taste good to us, but they lack the nutrients waterfowl need. Poorly nourished birds can suffer from:
- misshapen wings, sometimes called propeller wings
- fewer successful hatchings
- greater vulnerability to predators
- losing the ability to fly
- low energy
- shorter lives
Crowding Spreads Disease
You have probably seen it happen: a few crumbs for a couple of ducks, and suddenly dozens or even hundreds of birds are crowding around. It's fun to watch, but it's bad for them. When too many ducks and geese pack into a small space, illnesses pass quickly from bird to bird. Please help keep them healthy by not feeding them and adding to the crowding.
Does bread really cause problems?
Birds that get used to handouts lose their natural wariness of people. They can turn pushy or aggressive, and they also become easier targets for predators. Some birds die because they can't compete for either natural food or human handouts.
Large flocks in one spot hurt the environment as well. The birds can overgraze lawns, and the extra nutrients from their droppings can foul pond water. Leftover food pollutes the water too and draws rodents and other pests.
Ducks and geese will swallow nearly anything, including trash and discarded fishing gear such as lead sinkers. Please leave nature as you found it and dispose of your litter properly.
How You Can Help
- Don't feed ducks, geese or other waterfowl.
- Explain to friends and family why feeding them causes harm.
- Pick up your own trash and any other litter you find in the park, since litter can injure birds in many ways.
- Keep children and dogs from chasing the birds.
What Waterfowl Eat Naturally
- Insects, both aquatic and on land
- Earthworms
- Grasses, weeds and lawn clippings
- Algae plus water plants and their roots
- Small fish and their eggs
- Tiny crustaceans
- Frogs, salamanders and other amphibians
- Seeds and grains
- Small berries, fruit and nuts
Even though this is their natural diet, please don't offer these foods either. Birds that are fed by people come to depend on us.
Other Ways to Enjoy the Birds
Photography: Pick up a new family hobby. A camera lets you capture wildlife behaving naturally and appreciate its beauty up close.
Species research: Choose a waterfowl species you haven't seen before and learn about it at the library or online. Turn it into a family contest to see who can identify the most species.
Bird watching: Take a walk in the park with binoculars and observe how birds behave on their own. Keep a log of each bird you spot, look it up, and see whether you can later recognize it by sight or by its call.
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