WILDLIFE:AS A temporary ban on the hunting of wild birds was announced from today, the public was urged not to feed garden birds dry bread, coconut or uncooked rice.
The Department of the Environment said a temporary closure of the hunting season for wild birds will start today, due to the severe recent and continuing freezing weather conditions across the State.
Ciarán O’Keeffe, director of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, said while there was an improvement in the weather, there were still freezing night-time conditions and it was essential that wild birds be given time to recover from the bad spell.
He said the temporary closure was to protect wild ducks, geese, waders and other wild game birds during this cold weather and he urged all hunters to respect this measure which clearly had a conservation benefit for the long-term populations of the wild game species.
The decision, he said, had been taken following consultation with the National Association of Regional Game Councils.
Other hunting organisations and BirdWatch Ireland also supported the ban.
BirdWatch Ireland warned yesterday that dry bread, uncooked rice and dried coconut would swell up in the bird’s stomach and damage them.
Bread should be soaked in water for a time before being put out for the birds.
It urged the public to feed wild birds peanuts, seed and sunflower seed – all of which can found in local supermarkets and garden shops, as can the special wire or plastic feeders that they should be put in. These feeders can then be suspended from tree branches or a bird table.
“Apples, whether cut in half and speared on branches – or just left out whole on the lawn, are also a great source of food, particularly for blackbirds and other members of the thrush family, as well as blackcap small warblers that have only recently begun to spend the winter in Ireland,” it continued.
“Kitchen scraps, such as bacon rinds, cheese – particularly loved by robins – suet, raisins, moistened bread, melon seeds, fruit, stale cake, cooked potato, oatmeal, fresh coconut and uncooked pastry, also make welcome meals,” it added.
The report said fat was an especially important source of energy for birds, and lumps of suet may be hung out on strings or in plastic mesh vegetable containers.
Meat trimmings, bacon rinds and other scraps will also be eaten.
It said uncommon bird species, such as siskins and redpolls, were coming into gardens joining the more common species, such as bluetits, dunnocks, chaffinches and robins, and competing with them for food.
“This winter has also seen a particularly large influx of winter visitors from Scandinavia and elsewhere in northern Europe.
“This means that this year the pressure on the remaining food resources is even greater than usual,” the report continued.
BirdWatch said it was as important to ensure garden birds had a constant supply of fresh drinking water as it was to ensure that they had food – not only to drink but to bathe in.