Help Save the Birds at Western Springs Park!!
Hi there, Our names are Emma and Mele and we're from Western Springs College. We are working on a project trying to stop the public from feeding the birds. As you may know, this feeding is killing many native birds and causing serious illnesses, because lots of food ends up in the water & promotes the growth of a harmful bacteria. We walk through here everyday & really love this park!! Western Springs Park is experiencing an outbreak of avian botulism which can prove fatal for waterfowl due to paralysis. The toxin is not harmful to humans and is caused by a buildup of organic material in the water. Birds with botulism are unable to use their wings or legs normally not control their eyelid or neck muscles. Feeding ducks and geese behave differently when fed in water. They become more aggressive and eventually lose their wariness of humans. Some will not survive because they can't compete. Bread and similar products such as crackers, chips, crisps, donuts, cereal, and popcorn are great sources of carbohydrates but they offer little nutritional value for ducks, geese, swans and other birds. In fact, bread is the equivalent to junk food for birds. Like humans would suffer from a diet of nothing but candy, too much bread can lead ducks to excessive weight and malnutrition as well as many other problems. If you are wanting to feed to birds feed them things such as grapes (cut in half to prevent choking), peas and corn, birdseed or other grains, duck feed pellets available from farm supply stores or even barley and oats. For many people, feeding ducks bread is not only a way to interact with wildlife, but it is also a handy way to dispose of old, stale bread. There are many other useful ways to dispose of unwanted bread, however, including, adding bread to a compost pile to create mulch and fertilizer for bird-friendly landscaping, trying stale bread recipes such as bread pudding or homemade dressing and stuffing, toasting stale bread for homemade croutons, bread crumbs or garlic toast. Please stop and think the next time you feed the birds! Your inputs are valuable so feel free to message us about your opinions on this issue. Thanks, Emma and Mele
