Member-only story
Feeding The Wildlife
At the local park
Birdseed is raining down on the water after being thrown by an enthusiastic visitor at our local park. The eager recipients are in there quick as a flash to catch what they can.
The waterfowl at our local park are always up for an easy meal. The problem is the bullies come over quickly enough (Canada geese and Egyptian geese), and then the smaller waterfowl don’t get a look in.
Maybe a handful of birdseed won’t cause any problems but if people come past and repeatedly throw birdseed into the water for the waterfowl throughout the day, thinking it’s a fun activity, that might not be such a good idea.
The birdseed will swell if not eaten and sink to the bottom where it decomposes, using up oxygen, which isn’t good for the ecosystem.
Another issue is if the birdseed reaches the edges of the water. There are signs about a rat problem, and we’ve certainly seen rats by the water’s edge. Rats will eat anything including dog poo (poop). Ugh!
That’s why the sign asks people to put their dog waste into the bins (trash cans) provided specifically for that purpose. Dog owners buy special polythene bags to collect the dog waste, tie a knot in it and toss it in the receptacles.
