Feeding Wildlife or
Encouraging Pests?
Caring for nature over winter feels like
the right thing to do. Or is it encouraging pests, storing up problems for the
future?
Many people choose to feed the birds or
leave out dog food for hedgehogs or the
local urban fox. Other people feel that this is encouraging vermin and pests,
storing up problems for the future.
Nature groups, including the RSPB,
encourage us to feed garden birds and create ideal nesting sites for all kinds
of bugs and insects. And yet, these birds and bugs could be the prey of larger
animals and rodents, many of which are considered vermin and pests.
How do we balance looking after nature
without creating the perfect environment attractive to pests?
It’s a tough balancing act, but it can be
done.
#1 Bird seed, not
food scraps
Feeding scraps of food has never been a great idea. Larger pieces of
food attract larger birds such as seagulls, that are now deemed to be a
nuisance. To attract garden birds to your garden, you need to feed them the
appropriate seeds.
Pet shops and some supermarkets will sell
generic birds seed although, for some
garden birds such as robins, sunflower hearts and other high-energy foods are a
good idea.
Bird seed doesn’t attract seagulls, but you
still may get crows and pigeons on the bird table, or an intrepid squirrel on
the nuts.
#2 Bird tables, not
on the ground
Throwing scraps of food on the ground is
not only inviting larger birds but rats, mice and other pests to partake in the
daily feeding ritual.
In winter, most animals and birds, pests or
otherwise, struggle to find enough food. And that means when there is an opportunity to feast, they will take it.
If you are feeding the birds this winter,
spread bird seed either on a bird table or use the many hanging feeders and
other contraptions you can buy. These feeding devices are made for garden birds
and thus, rats and mice, along with seagulls and pigeons find them difficult to
‘use’ or perch on.
#3 Don’t declare
open season!
Feed garden birds within limits. In other
words, a handful of seed on a bird table each morning is enough to encourage
the right birds into the garden. Birds are tenacious creatures and will find
other sources of food such a berries and insects – the seed they find in your
garden is an added bonus.
Being overly generous can be akin to
declaring open season for all kinds of pests! If there is abundant food
available throughout the day, pests will come. Feed in moderation.
#4 Be alert for
pests – especially rats and mice
Rats and mice will be in your garden, it’s
just that either you don’t see them or they are so few that you don’t notice
them. If you start to see signs – well-trodden paths in the grass, for example,
or holes appearing in fences, or you actually catch sight of one – call a pest
control expert.
But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t
encourage wildlife into your garden. But do so responsibly and in the right
way, and enjoy the wonder of nature.