Our building has an annual clean-up of the grounds and pond around it. The one item that we pick up that outnumbers every other cup, can, or piece of garbage, was bread bags. Why would you feed bread to ducks in the first place (they eat bugs and vegetation, not a loaf of bread) and then just throw the bag on the ground or in the pond when you’re done? Stop being so selfish, lazy, and destructive and try to think of the habitat as the ducks’ home, not your garbage can. Have some compassion for the earth and the other animals that have to live outside. Come on, don’t be an idiot.
This article appears in May 15-21, 2008.
Well, I don’t agree with littering, but COME ON you’ve NEVER fed bread to ducks? REALLY? Don’t know whether its good for them or not, but they will take it right out of your hands!
All that you get from handfeeding ducks is a pondfull of them who won’t search out their own food, follow people hoping for a crumb and often it means the ducks don’t fly to warmer climates in the fall and will die from hunger if humans don’t step in to help.There is no reason to feed the ducks or geese, nor is there any good excuse for dumping grocery bags of stale bread for pidgeons in the parking lot across from the Infirmary site on Queen. Watch for the old lady who does it daily.
I used to feed the birds… Just the heels, and the crumbs… (every now and then) Until I bought a car, and they’d bomb it, to say thanks!Still happens, but not as often! FUCK YOU BIRDS!!! FUCK YOU!! Leave my car alone :)And OP.. I dont understand what the hell people are thinking! Feeding them, then giving them something to get their heads stuck into and die… Some people are just effin slow!
Elvis, Bread has no nutritional value for ducks, and yet because of people feeding it to them, it makes up the bulk of the diet of a lot of urban ducks. Feeding bread to ducks is like feeding mcdonalds to kids. Sure, they like it, and they’ll follow you around begging for it. Ducks, like kids, don’t know or care that it’s bad for them. If people really want to feed the ducks, they should go buy a bag of birdseed. It’s cheaper than bread anyway.
Thanks Miranda; I wasn’t sure whether it was or not. I haven’t feed ducks in years, and most places have “do not feed ducks” signs now
Every year HRM has to close some of it’s lakes to swimmers because of people feeding ducks. People feeding ducks = more ducks and more poop = high levels of fecal coliform in the water = nowhere for kids to swim on hot August days.
At least use whole grain bread. Once I shared my ice cream with some ducks. At first they didn’t like it, but then they loved it. I love ducks, there is something about them. When I move to the country I am going to make a huge duck pond. The wife is not keen on the idea.Urban sprawl is taking the duck habitats, not the ducks taking up lakes that swimmers use. That is the way I see it anyway. And littering is laziness. I am always verbal when I see some one littering.
Scott, the ducks may have been at the lake(s) before urban sprawl came along but people feeding the birds only causes more birds to show up, eat and eventually shit in the water which leads to closures due to unacceptable levels of fecal matter in the water.Ducks can figure out how to get food on their own, let their instinctive behaviours work.
“they eat bugs and vegetation, not a loaf of bread”hahahaha, have you seen the video on youtube of the seagull who steals the bag of Doritos?