When Ignorance Kills

It seems some locals are still oblivious to the dangers of tossing whole slices of bread en mass into the river. Today as I crossed the merryton footbridge, I could not believe my eyes when I saw a local man throwing about a dozen whole slices of bread into the river, causing a seagull feeding frenzy right on top of the swans and ducks !

I remonstrated with him, but he said he could'nt care less what I thought ! He displayed pure unadulterated ignorance, uncaring about the danger to the innocent wildlife.

He did not take time to look along the wall to see if the mother duck with 7 ducklings was there, I later saw her with 5 only !

I have no objection to people feeding the ducks and Swans, as long as they do it responsibly and do not encourage the predators on top of the other birds.

It is perfectly possible to feed the swans and ducks without being plagued with gulls, I have learned to do it for years, and it's not difficult if you follow a few simple rules.

Rule number 1 : BE PREPARED, have the BROWN bread already cut into a size that will fit a ducks bill. Throwing a large piece or slice will only attract gulls, and cannot be eaten instantly by any ducks !

Rule 2 : Drop the bread into the water close to the side, this will suit the ducks and swans and deter any gulls because they cannot fly up against a wall ! Only drop what can be eaten immediately, have NO surplus bread floating on the water !

Remember the swans and ducks will come right to your feet as long as you dont have a dog beside you that they can see - dogs are predators as far as the wildlife are concerned and will not come close.

If any seagulls come near, clap your hands and make it plain they are not wanted, they are intelligent and will soon get the message.

Rule 3 : Do not attempt to feed swans out of the water, they cannot escape and could get killed if someone comes along with a loose dog . Throwing bread into the grass will only encourage vermin, so choose a spot that suits the wildlife - not you !

Rule 4 : Do not be overt with the feeding, holding a big white carrier bag and throwing handfuls all over the place will only cause a gull feeding frenzy !

Dont give them mouldy bread it is poisonous to swans and ducks !

If you could'nt eat it yourself, then better to bin it.

Every year I have seen people throwing whole and half french sticks, whole crusty rolls straight out of the freezer, emptying whole sliced loaves into the river ! Then they wonder why they are plagued with gulls . Think about the logic of it, and allow for the fact that you want to feed something that has a mouth about the width of your thumb, whole slices and french sticks just won't do !

Using common sense and a few simple rules will make the river a lot safer for the young birds.

I have nothing against gulls, but they are flesh eating predators that should not be encouraged and left well alone.

When seagulls descend they will take anything that is floating on the surface - take a close look at the photo above and remember it !