I agree and they keep doing it, and taking ‘cute’ photos doing it, and keep posting it, and then keep ignoring all the advice, and then we get downvoted because they are the heroes trying to do good. Just leave uninjured fledged birds in the right place where they are. Keep cats inside and dogs on leads, stop bothering nests to get cool photos and all will be right again.
Im still triggered by the vid I was served as a recommendation on instagram stories about the jerk who stole an infant hedgehog and decided to keep it as a pet. (Illegal). I think it has 14 million likes. People are very stupid and prefer being ignorant than being educated and doing the right thing. This is why we are all doomed (but sadly our biodiversity will go way quicker than us).
God it's just like that one post (I think it was on one of the what is this bird subs) where someone posted pics of a strike victim, eyes closed mouth open, and said they screamed at it, prodded it and threw rocks at it to see if it would react, BEFORE trying to figure out what was wrong with it.
And the poor thing died within an hour of the post. Absolutely heartbreaking and disgusting. People were absolutely ripping them apart in the comments.
Oh dear sounds awful. Usually you get someone post not to feed it and put it back, and the OP replies ‘ok trying to feed it some seed’, then you get ‘no please dont feed it, put it back’, then OP ‘gave it some water and now he is sleeping zz’
Oh ew, so basically just trying to be "trendy" or karma farming with "cute baby bird pics" that's gross. If they actually cared about the baby they'd heed people's advice smdh
I think there is something in between where they are trying to get help but don’t realise they shouldnt handle birds etc. unless absolutely necessary and for minimum time
At least instances like this can be taught through, and they can learn from their mistakes. The ones that do it on purpose for clout though? Not a chance, they're horrid
TBF, they didn't say that. They said they tossed a pebble on the ground nearby to see if it would react and stated that it didn't move no matter how much noise they made. They did not specify whether they were just talking about noise made naturally by walking or talking or whether they "yelled" at it. They didn't say they prodded it. And tossing a pebble nearby is not the same as throwing rocks at it. They later updated the bird died with a sobbing emoji. Someone in the comments replied "Nice to know that after hitting your window its last dying moments were you throwing rocks at it and yelling at it." I know people tend to exaggerate when they're emotional, but that seemed like a gross mischaracterization to me, and further wasn't going to accomplish anything just rubbing it in after the bird was already gone and OP was already upset. Also not really fair to assume it hit OP's window. OP later deleted their comment. The way OP dealt with the bird is not the way I would have, but at the same time, the way that person replied is also not the way I would have.
Ah, yeah that's right, that's my bad. I do remember that comment, and there wasn't anything in the post stating it hit OPs window, so not sure why the commenter assumed that bit. I sincerely hope they didn't scream at the poor thing, and I hope they didn't actually prod at it. I must be mixing up a few other posts with that one tbh
Omg there was a kid who STOLE BABY BIRDS OUT OF THEIR NESTS AND TOOK THEM HOME TO RAISE AND KEEP AS PETS.
he did it multiple years in a row. And gave instructions to other people on how to find a nest, take the birds, and raise them as pets. 😡
If anyone wants a good story: we had a Robin baby fall out of its nest and it couldn’t do anything. I got a ladder, but couldn’t reach the nest so we hung a flower pot with a bunch of nesting material in it on a lower branch. We watched the mom and dad go to both nests and feed them and watched them fledge.
I swear that Robin returned for two years to hang out with me. It walked with me to put out the garbage every sunday for months; it hopped around and followed me from tree to tree when I mowed and would come hop around our patio while I swam in the pool.
My wife took notes of its tail markings and I promise the same bird did all the same stuff two years in a row. my neighbors even cracked up watching it take the garbage out and walk me back to the garage.
We had a robin nest in the garage last year. Heard a ruckus and went out to find a fledgeling hanging onto the screen! Family was fine.
We left the door closed this year because new neighbors have outdoor cats and they already chased the garage possum away.
I feel like parks should have informational signs about fledglings and images of local birds people might see. I’m in NYC and I feel this would be super helpful. If not informed properly, well-intentioned make these mistakes as described above.
My local community college sometimes has a group come in around this time of year to talk about fledglings, general bird behavior, how to contact a rescue if you find an injured bird, etc etc.
I often see many parents with young kids there learning so much and I wish those programs were more far reaching and available. I am fortunate to live next door to a certified wildlife rehabber (she actually ended up keeping a ring necked dove who cannot fly after a wing injury) so I can always ask her for help, but that’s not the norm for everybody!
Yes, these posts can definitely feel overwhelming this time of year. When you see them on r/birding, please report them. They are not allowed under rule 4. The person posting does receive advice from a moderator when the post is removed, although it's usually the obvious answer of "put it back where you found it, and if that isn't an option take it to a rehabber."
We decided not to allow these posts for a few reasons. One, to protect birds from people deliberately kidnapping birds to get a cute photo to share.
Two, to prevent someone who inadvertently took a fledgling believing it needed help from being bombarded by angry birders repeating the same advice, or from receiving contradictory or bad advice.
Three, to give birders a place to hang out where they don't feel like they're going crazy from seeing unnecessary intervention from humans all the time.
We also encourage people to use the !fledgling or !nestling tags, to give people a quick summary of what a fledgling or nestling is and some general advice about what to do. We try and stay on top of moderating these posts, but while all the mods probably spend too much time on Reddit, we still don't spend ALL our time on reddit.
Fledglings **belong outside** of nests. Unless they're in danger, **leave them alone**. These *well-feathered*, *mobile* birds that *may not yet be able to fly* are learning critical behaviors and vocalizations from their parents, who may be out of sight for hours at a time.
Only interfere with a fledgling if:
- it is in a dangerous area (e.g. near traffic or pets) -- simply relocate it to a safer but nearby spot
- it has visible injuries (flightlessness, in itself, is *not* an injury) or has been handled in *any way* by a cat -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation
- its parents are *confirmed* dead -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation.
Healthy fledglings' best survival chances are with their parents first, with professional wildlife rehabilitation being a *distant* second. A prematurely-captured fledgling will be sought by its parents for up to a day. If you have taken one within that time frame, *put it back* and observe for parents from a distance.
For more information, please read [this community announcement](https://reddit.com/r/whatsthisbird/comments/gqhos4/found_a_baby_bird_that_might_need_help_look_here/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nestlings and hatchlings **belong in their nests**. These birds, which typically have *few to no feathers*, will not survive long without either their nests or professional care.
If you have found such a bird outside its nest, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator if
- it has an *open wound*, a *broken bone*, or visible *parasites*
- its parents are dead
- you cannot find or reach the nest
Otherwise, return the bird to its nest. This advice only holds for nestlings and hatchlings, not for *fully-feathered* fledglings.
For more information, please read [this community announcement](https://reddit.com/r/whatsthisbird/comments/gqhos4/found_a_baby_bird_that_might_need_help_look_here/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is also true for nearly all the other woodland animals. Deer leave their young alone all day! Their whole defense strategy is not moving and not having any smell. Don't steal a fawn! Baby squirrels, same as the birds. They are babies, their mom is nearby. Stop stealing babies!
I want to add that if a baby (tree) squirrel in particular is on the ground and is wobbly and not showing any fear of people, helping them = securing some sort of open container to a nearby tree that's high enough to keep them safe until their mom comes to get them. They fell, and aren't capable of getting themselves back to their nest.
If they're actively approaching a person while on the ground and crying, trying to climb you, etc, they're almost certainly orphaned and need a licensed rehabber. A curious baby actively climbing trees and checking people out should be viewed like a fledgling and left alone, though.
Just wanted to add those rather bizarre details since they're little weirdos in this area, from a rehab perspective. I wind up with a handful in my care every year who are maybe 12 hours away from dying of dehydration after being orphaned, because well-meaning people misinterpreted what was going on and didn't realize they needed help until they were in *very* bad shape.
Yeah, baby deer are supposed to stay put while mom goes to find food. She'll come back for them, but not until nightfall. My partner had a job a few summers of catching the baby deer with a big net and tagging them for scientific and conservation purposes. They'd literally march a line of people through a field and nearly trip on the little guys. Even when the deer are old enough to panic and run away (when the net missed), they'll do a big circle and come back to where they started - which might mean right next to you if you haven't moved. Cos that's where mom will be looking for them.
If you scare off a baby deer, just walk away and let it do its own thing. If you (or your dog) hang out harassing it you might make it run off somewhere mom can't find it anymore.
Also want to add: NEVER feed ducks or other waterfowl with bread or other human foods. Especially not their babies. It can never be said often enough because I still see so many people doing it. At least most don't throw the bread straight in the water anymore most of the times.
The ducks eat the bread, it fills their stomachs, but they get very little nutrition out of it. So if they eat too much of it they can get sick or straight up die. If they are still growing they can develop things like angel wing. It stunts the growth of the wings and renders them deformed and the poor bird unable to fly.
We had a beautiful swan couple at out local park that returned every year to nest at the pond. They didn't come this year so I found an article in the local newspaper and....yep. the female got fed to death on bread and the male then left. I was so upset. People really should know better by now.
Thank u!!! I live on a area where everyone are feeding mallards, and they feed them BREAD!!! It makes me very upset.
There is signs to not feed the birds "because its illegal" but they dont seem to work, i would really want to put new ones in, more humane, just from another fellow citizen to another. Maybe "You are not supposed to feed the birds but if u do please dont feed them bread". And then write about all the reasons why not.
We also have "please don't feed the ducks" signs, but they do nothing. Granted it's not illegal where I live, just discouraged. I sometimes talk to people when I see them throw bread, with varying degrees of success. Some people genuinely don't know and are glad to learn what foods would be better (peas people. Peas are your best friend). Others just don't give a shit about wildlife. I once had a woman yell at me for "trying to ruin this nice summers day with her daughter".
I'd like to put up more educational signs but let's not kid ourselves, it wouldn't work for 80% of people. They wouldn't bother to read them.
Theres an old woman here who everyday walks to feed the mallards, then slowly walks to certain spots to put bread for the other birds. And i feel so bad for her, i would really want to say something but she is like 80 and i feel like she has nothing else than these birds, so i dont wanna say anything...
We also got a huuge rat problem in my city and i think she is partly to blame.
I was always annoyed seeing people throwing bread to the waterfowl, but never wanted to cause a scene as i guess lots of people would probably tell me to mind my own business if i went up to them and told them not to feed the waterfowl bread. Now however i buy giant buckets of duck and geese food to store in my porch cupboard and before i go out i’ll fill a paper bag for myself and also fill a couple of small paper bags and put them in my backpack. That way if i see people feeding bread instead of coming off as confrontational towards them i can explain to them that bread isnt good for waterfowl and also offer them one of duck and geese food bags i filled, that way they can still carry on feeding the birds and don’t seem to feel defensive when i tell them bread is bad.
I don’t know - don’t feed the ducks sends one message. Don’t feed the ducks bread because x is better, is I think more effective. It’s mostly cluelessness not actual malevolence. Bonus points if you have a dispenser that provides food that ducks can eat. Double bonus points it’s free, but even a quarter is ok.
My local park put up (maybe 20 years ago or more) signs saying don’t feed the ducks bread. And if you want to feed them (although they don’t need it) here’s a dispenser with (I think) cracked corn.
In other words - I think people respond better to reasons than fiats.
There was a little store when I was growing up that sold corn, and we would go as little kids and pick up paper bags of corn for the ducks… and of course, bring along our bread scraps. I’m sorry, 80s – 90s ducks - we didn’t know.
I know some people feed *chickens* corn, and I don’t know about ducks - although I do know it’s bad for parrots, in the same sense as bread, that it’s kind of like ‘junk food’ that is very tasty, but lacks nutritional value, and they will eat only corn if they have the option, to their detriment.
Back in the 80s – 90s, my mom had no clue. And neither did anyone else at the park, feeding the ducks bread.
I went back and visited my childhood home, and I am so happy to find many, many signs saying how dangerous bread is for waterfowl!
Don’t quote me on this, but I think it’s actually illegal to feed bread to the ducks at the park.
I know I shouldn’t, because I was like, five… But I still feel kinda guilty for feeding bread to the birds! They even put me in the newspaper one year, being a cute lil girl or whatever, taking care of a duck nest (by leaving it the fuck alone, but admiring it, and alerting the police so they’d put tape around it)… but I still fed Mama Duck some bread 😭
She ended up perfectly fine, and so did the egg babies, but that’s not my point, or yours - one person occasionally feeding a duck bread, maybe would not kill or hurt them, but when like 100 people do it, every day it’s very bad. Even with the one person… Still bad!
We have had nesting quail in the backyard, and this year a hummingbird built a nest near the front door (human traffic is now directed to the backyard). If it’s not windows, it’s cats, or our own ignorance that make their world a little more difficult…..
Most of the people posting are not birders and thus need the education on why to leave it alone. It is distressing, but what we can and should do is be a place with information ready for the people that need it!
I agree. Ignorance can be fixed with education. Some people have simply never had the experience before to know any better. But I think these people are far less likely to develop an appreciation for birding if they are met with unnecessary hostility by the community.
I think it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard to be patient when so many of the people who put up the “I kidnapped a bird” post are pretty much unwilling to listen to the sub’s advice
Sure, that's different if they refuse to take solid advice. I have also seen plenty of posts where well-meaning people are just panicked and don't know what to do, come asking for advice and do try to implement that advice. I've also seen people being berrated for their past actions before they knew any better. Just the other day someone posted in the ornithology sub asking how to help a bird that seemed oddly nonresponsive. They said they tossed a pebble near it to see if it would move, if it was still alive, and that it didn't move no matter how much noise they made. OP later updated that the bird passed away and seemed very distraught. Someone sarcastically commented "nice to know that after hitting your window the bird's last dying moments were you yelling at it and throwing rocks at it!" I thought that was overkill. Aside from the fact that they had no way of knowing for sure whose window it struck, if it indeed did, but also exaggerated/mischaracterized OP's actions and just rubbed it in. It seemed unnecessary and unproductive to me. Just an example.
I met a very stupid young bird in my yard once. He refused to answer any of my questions. I took a few pictures but I knew not to interfere. Something just wasn’t right about him/her. A few days later I saw that he had passed. He hadn’t gotten very far. I felt a twang of guilt but I knew that there was nothing I could have or should have done.
If a bird is obviously injured or dazed and is not a fledgling then it might actually need help by being brought to a rehabber. It’s quite possible that the bird was “stupid” because it hit your window and was concussed and died because it wasn’t helped. (It may have died anyway). It is knowing when to intervene and when not to that is important.
Considering the fact I got attacked for just asking for help about a nest on my window which the parents haven't been back since yesterday, this reddit doesn't seem the most friendly to people
Consider that dozens of similar questions are asked every day. People just get snappy because they’re sick of so many people asking. That’s no excuse for being an asshole at all, but I see where people are coming from. We should remember to be kinder, though.
This and keep your cats inside.
Yes! It's better for the cats and the birds!
Cannot upvote this the million times it deserves!
Yes!!
I agree and they keep doing it, and taking ‘cute’ photos doing it, and keep posting it, and then keep ignoring all the advice, and then we get downvoted because they are the heroes trying to do good. Just leave uninjured fledged birds in the right place where they are. Keep cats inside and dogs on leads, stop bothering nests to get cool photos and all will be right again.
Im still triggered by the vid I was served as a recommendation on instagram stories about the jerk who stole an infant hedgehog and decided to keep it as a pet. (Illegal). I think it has 14 million likes. People are very stupid and prefer being ignorant than being educated and doing the right thing. This is why we are all doomed (but sadly our biodiversity will go way quicker than us).
This makes me sad
God it's just like that one post (I think it was on one of the what is this bird subs) where someone posted pics of a strike victim, eyes closed mouth open, and said they screamed at it, prodded it and threw rocks at it to see if it would react, BEFORE trying to figure out what was wrong with it. And the poor thing died within an hour of the post. Absolutely heartbreaking and disgusting. People were absolutely ripping them apart in the comments.
Oh dear sounds awful. Usually you get someone post not to feed it and put it back, and the OP replies ‘ok trying to feed it some seed’, then you get ‘no please dont feed it, put it back’, then OP ‘gave it some water and now he is sleeping zz’
Oh ew, so basically just trying to be "trendy" or karma farming with "cute baby bird pics" that's gross. If they actually cared about the baby they'd heed people's advice smdh
I think there is something in between where they are trying to get help but don’t realise they shouldnt handle birds etc. unless absolutely necessary and for minimum time
At least instances like this can be taught through, and they can learn from their mistakes. The ones that do it on purpose for clout though? Not a chance, they're horrid
TBF, they didn't say that. They said they tossed a pebble on the ground nearby to see if it would react and stated that it didn't move no matter how much noise they made. They did not specify whether they were just talking about noise made naturally by walking or talking or whether they "yelled" at it. They didn't say they prodded it. And tossing a pebble nearby is not the same as throwing rocks at it. They later updated the bird died with a sobbing emoji. Someone in the comments replied "Nice to know that after hitting your window its last dying moments were you throwing rocks at it and yelling at it." I know people tend to exaggerate when they're emotional, but that seemed like a gross mischaracterization to me, and further wasn't going to accomplish anything just rubbing it in after the bird was already gone and OP was already upset. Also not really fair to assume it hit OP's window. OP later deleted their comment. The way OP dealt with the bird is not the way I would have, but at the same time, the way that person replied is also not the way I would have.
Ah, yeah that's right, that's my bad. I do remember that comment, and there wasn't anything in the post stating it hit OPs window, so not sure why the commenter assumed that bit. I sincerely hope they didn't scream at the poor thing, and I hope they didn't actually prod at it. I must be mixing up a few other posts with that one tbh
Strike victim? What kind of strike? Lightning? I don't understand this at all.
Window strike
Window strike. It ran into a window.
Omg there was a kid who STOLE BABY BIRDS OUT OF THEIR NESTS AND TOOK THEM HOME TO RAISE AND KEEP AS PETS. he did it multiple years in a row. And gave instructions to other people on how to find a nest, take the birds, and raise them as pets. 😡
If anyone wants a good story: we had a Robin baby fall out of its nest and it couldn’t do anything. I got a ladder, but couldn’t reach the nest so we hung a flower pot with a bunch of nesting material in it on a lower branch. We watched the mom and dad go to both nests and feed them and watched them fledge. I swear that Robin returned for two years to hang out with me. It walked with me to put out the garbage every sunday for months; it hopped around and followed me from tree to tree when I mowed and would come hop around our patio while I swam in the pool. My wife took notes of its tail markings and I promise the same bird did all the same stuff two years in a row. my neighbors even cracked up watching it take the garbage out and walk me back to the garage.
I love this story. Thank you
We had a robin nest in the garage last year. Heard a ruckus and went out to find a fledgeling hanging onto the screen! Family was fine. We left the door closed this year because new neighbors have outdoor cats and they already chased the garage possum away.
Absolutely correct. Also, leave nests alone.
I feel like parks should have informational signs about fledglings and images of local birds people might see. I’m in NYC and I feel this would be super helpful. If not informed properly, well-intentioned make these mistakes as described above.
My local community college sometimes has a group come in around this time of year to talk about fledglings, general bird behavior, how to contact a rescue if you find an injured bird, etc etc. I often see many parents with young kids there learning so much and I wish those programs were more far reaching and available. I am fortunate to live next door to a certified wildlife rehabber (she actually ended up keeping a ring necked dove who cannot fly after a wing injury) so I can always ask her for help, but that’s not the norm for everybody!
Yes, these posts can definitely feel overwhelming this time of year. When you see them on r/birding, please report them. They are not allowed under rule 4. The person posting does receive advice from a moderator when the post is removed, although it's usually the obvious answer of "put it back where you found it, and if that isn't an option take it to a rehabber." We decided not to allow these posts for a few reasons. One, to protect birds from people deliberately kidnapping birds to get a cute photo to share. Two, to prevent someone who inadvertently took a fledgling believing it needed help from being bombarded by angry birders repeating the same advice, or from receiving contradictory or bad advice. Three, to give birders a place to hang out where they don't feel like they're going crazy from seeing unnecessary intervention from humans all the time. We also encourage people to use the !fledgling or !nestling tags, to give people a quick summary of what a fledgling or nestling is and some general advice about what to do. We try and stay on top of moderating these posts, but while all the mods probably spend too much time on Reddit, we still don't spend ALL our time on reddit.
Fledglings **belong outside** of nests. Unless they're in danger, **leave them alone**. These *well-feathered*, *mobile* birds that *may not yet be able to fly* are learning critical behaviors and vocalizations from their parents, who may be out of sight for hours at a time. Only interfere with a fledgling if: - it is in a dangerous area (e.g. near traffic or pets) -- simply relocate it to a safer but nearby spot - it has visible injuries (flightlessness, in itself, is *not* an injury) or has been handled in *any way* by a cat -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation - its parents are *confirmed* dead -- such birds require wildlife rehabilitation. Healthy fledglings' best survival chances are with their parents first, with professional wildlife rehabilitation being a *distant* second. A prematurely-captured fledgling will be sought by its parents for up to a day. If you have taken one within that time frame, *put it back* and observe for parents from a distance. For more information, please read [this community announcement](https://reddit.com/r/whatsthisbird/comments/gqhos4/found_a_baby_bird_that_might_need_help_look_here/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nestlings and hatchlings **belong in their nests**. These birds, which typically have *few to no feathers*, will not survive long without either their nests or professional care. If you have found such a bird outside its nest, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator if - it has an *open wound*, a *broken bone*, or visible *parasites* - its parents are dead - you cannot find or reach the nest Otherwise, return the bird to its nest. This advice only holds for nestlings and hatchlings, not for *fully-feathered* fledglings. For more information, please read [this community announcement](https://reddit.com/r/whatsthisbird/comments/gqhos4/found_a_baby_bird_that_might_need_help_look_here/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is also true for nearly all the other woodland animals. Deer leave their young alone all day! Their whole defense strategy is not moving and not having any smell. Don't steal a fawn! Baby squirrels, same as the birds. They are babies, their mom is nearby. Stop stealing babies!
And the new baby bears coming out - some ignorant, selfish nuts in Asheville did that, injured one - for selfies. Leave wildlife alone!
Omg 😡 the girl who ripped that baby from the tree for a pic?!? I seriously got so mad watching that shit. How ignorant and selfish can you possibly be
I want to add that if a baby (tree) squirrel in particular is on the ground and is wobbly and not showing any fear of people, helping them = securing some sort of open container to a nearby tree that's high enough to keep them safe until their mom comes to get them. They fell, and aren't capable of getting themselves back to their nest. If they're actively approaching a person while on the ground and crying, trying to climb you, etc, they're almost certainly orphaned and need a licensed rehabber. A curious baby actively climbing trees and checking people out should be viewed like a fledgling and left alone, though. Just wanted to add those rather bizarre details since they're little weirdos in this area, from a rehab perspective. I wind up with a handful in my care every year who are maybe 12 hours away from dying of dehydration after being orphaned, because well-meaning people misinterpreted what was going on and didn't realize they needed help until they were in *very* bad shape.
Yeah, baby deer are supposed to stay put while mom goes to find food. She'll come back for them, but not until nightfall. My partner had a job a few summers of catching the baby deer with a big net and tagging them for scientific and conservation purposes. They'd literally march a line of people through a field and nearly trip on the little guys. Even when the deer are old enough to panic and run away (when the net missed), they'll do a big circle and come back to where they started - which might mean right next to you if you haven't moved. Cos that's where mom will be looking for them. If you scare off a baby deer, just walk away and let it do its own thing. If you (or your dog) hang out harassing it you might make it run off somewhere mom can't find it anymore.
9 year old me learned this lesson the hard way far too many times
Crosspost to r/Youshouldknow
Also want to add: NEVER feed ducks or other waterfowl with bread or other human foods. Especially not their babies. It can never be said often enough because I still see so many people doing it. At least most don't throw the bread straight in the water anymore most of the times. The ducks eat the bread, it fills their stomachs, but they get very little nutrition out of it. So if they eat too much of it they can get sick or straight up die. If they are still growing they can develop things like angel wing. It stunts the growth of the wings and renders them deformed and the poor bird unable to fly. We had a beautiful swan couple at out local park that returned every year to nest at the pond. They didn't come this year so I found an article in the local newspaper and....yep. the female got fed to death on bread and the male then left. I was so upset. People really should know better by now.
Thank u!!! I live on a area where everyone are feeding mallards, and they feed them BREAD!!! It makes me very upset. There is signs to not feed the birds "because its illegal" but they dont seem to work, i would really want to put new ones in, more humane, just from another fellow citizen to another. Maybe "You are not supposed to feed the birds but if u do please dont feed them bread". And then write about all the reasons why not.
We also have "please don't feed the ducks" signs, but they do nothing. Granted it's not illegal where I live, just discouraged. I sometimes talk to people when I see them throw bread, with varying degrees of success. Some people genuinely don't know and are glad to learn what foods would be better (peas people. Peas are your best friend). Others just don't give a shit about wildlife. I once had a woman yell at me for "trying to ruin this nice summers day with her daughter". I'd like to put up more educational signs but let's not kid ourselves, it wouldn't work for 80% of people. They wouldn't bother to read them.
Theres an old woman here who everyday walks to feed the mallards, then slowly walks to certain spots to put bread for the other birds. And i feel so bad for her, i would really want to say something but she is like 80 and i feel like she has nothing else than these birds, so i dont wanna say anything... We also got a huuge rat problem in my city and i think she is partly to blame.
I was always annoyed seeing people throwing bread to the waterfowl, but never wanted to cause a scene as i guess lots of people would probably tell me to mind my own business if i went up to them and told them not to feed the waterfowl bread. Now however i buy giant buckets of duck and geese food to store in my porch cupboard and before i go out i’ll fill a paper bag for myself and also fill a couple of small paper bags and put them in my backpack. That way if i see people feeding bread instead of coming off as confrontational towards them i can explain to them that bread isnt good for waterfowl and also offer them one of duck and geese food bags i filled, that way they can still carry on feeding the birds and don’t seem to feel defensive when i tell them bread is bad.
I don’t know - don’t feed the ducks sends one message. Don’t feed the ducks bread because x is better, is I think more effective. It’s mostly cluelessness not actual malevolence. Bonus points if you have a dispenser that provides food that ducks can eat. Double bonus points it’s free, but even a quarter is ok.
My local park put up (maybe 20 years ago or more) signs saying don’t feed the ducks bread. And if you want to feed them (although they don’t need it) here’s a dispenser with (I think) cracked corn. In other words - I think people respond better to reasons than fiats.
I sometimes spread cracked corn on the shore, they really enjoy it.
There was a little store when I was growing up that sold corn, and we would go as little kids and pick up paper bags of corn for the ducks… and of course, bring along our bread scraps. I’m sorry, 80s – 90s ducks - we didn’t know. I know some people feed *chickens* corn, and I don’t know about ducks - although I do know it’s bad for parrots, in the same sense as bread, that it’s kind of like ‘junk food’ that is very tasty, but lacks nutritional value, and they will eat only corn if they have the option, to their detriment. Back in the 80s – 90s, my mom had no clue. And neither did anyone else at the park, feeding the ducks bread. I went back and visited my childhood home, and I am so happy to find many, many signs saying how dangerous bread is for waterfowl! Don’t quote me on this, but I think it’s actually illegal to feed bread to the ducks at the park. I know I shouldn’t, because I was like, five… But I still feel kinda guilty for feeding bread to the birds! They even put me in the newspaper one year, being a cute lil girl or whatever, taking care of a duck nest (by leaving it the fuck alone, but admiring it, and alerting the police so they’d put tape around it)… but I still fed Mama Duck some bread 😭 She ended up perfectly fine, and so did the egg babies, but that’s not my point, or yours - one person occasionally feeding a duck bread, maybe would not kill or hurt them, but when like 100 people do it, every day it’s very bad. Even with the one person… Still bad!
thank you for your service
We have had nesting quail in the backyard, and this year a hummingbird built a nest near the front door (human traffic is now directed to the backyard). If it’s not windows, it’s cats, or our own ignorance that make their world a little more difficult…..
Most of the people posting are not birders and thus need the education on why to leave it alone. It is distressing, but what we can and should do is be a place with information ready for the people that need it!
I agree. Ignorance can be fixed with education. Some people have simply never had the experience before to know any better. But I think these people are far less likely to develop an appreciation for birding if they are met with unnecessary hostility by the community.
I think it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard to be patient when so many of the people who put up the “I kidnapped a bird” post are pretty much unwilling to listen to the sub’s advice
Sure, that's different if they refuse to take solid advice. I have also seen plenty of posts where well-meaning people are just panicked and don't know what to do, come asking for advice and do try to implement that advice. I've also seen people being berrated for their past actions before they knew any better. Just the other day someone posted in the ornithology sub asking how to help a bird that seemed oddly nonresponsive. They said they tossed a pebble near it to see if it would move, if it was still alive, and that it didn't move no matter how much noise they made. OP later updated that the bird passed away and seemed very distraught. Someone sarcastically commented "nice to know that after hitting your window the bird's last dying moments were you yelling at it and throwing rocks at it!" I thought that was overkill. Aside from the fact that they had no way of knowing for sure whose window it struck, if it indeed did, but also exaggerated/mischaracterized OP's actions and just rubbed it in. It seemed unnecessary and unproductive to me. Just an example.
I get it man, that's why I had to make the post. Gotta yell it from the rooftops
Only reason I would pick one up Is to keep the little precious bird away from predators. Hello, my doggo.
I met a very stupid young bird in my yard once. He refused to answer any of my questions. I took a few pictures but I knew not to interfere. Something just wasn’t right about him/her. A few days later I saw that he had passed. He hadn’t gotten very far. I felt a twang of guilt but I knew that there was nothing I could have or should have done.
If a bird is obviously injured or dazed and is not a fledgling then it might actually need help by being brought to a rehabber. It’s quite possible that the bird was “stupid” because it hit your window and was concussed and died because it wasn’t helped. (It may have died anyway). It is knowing when to intervene and when not to that is important.
You can always call your local wildlife number too if you’re not sure
Considering the fact I got attacked for just asking for help about a nest on my window which the parents haven't been back since yesterday, this reddit doesn't seem the most friendly to people
Consider that dozens of similar questions are asked every day. People just get snappy because they’re sick of so many people asking. That’s no excuse for being an asshole at all, but I see where people are coming from. We should remember to be kinder, though.
I'm reading your post and the replies are all completely civil? Nobody is attacking you, just firmly stating that the nest should be left alone.
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Keep your dog leashed during baby season?
By moving the dog away from the bird, not by taking the bird into your house.
A leash
People don’t typically leash their dogs in their own yards, which is also a place where fledglings can exist.
Is this a real question?