Wild birds harmed by close contact for social media posts, Lethbridge wildlife centre says

Wildlife experts at Lethbridge's Helen Schuler Nature Centre says while social media posts of wild birds are great, too many people are hand feeding birds to get up close for their snaps. (Pexels)

Officials in a southern Alberta community are struggling with a rising number of reports of residents getting too close for comfort with wild birds that they say could lead to serious problems for the ecosystem as a whole.

The City of Lethbridge, in partnership with the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, says it has witnessed an increase in reports of wild birds being hand fed, primarily for the purposes of social media posts.

The city says while some may see the situation as "an exciting and memorable experience," wildlife experts say there are "many problems" that result from the practice.

They say the best diet for a wild bird is whatever the bird can gather from nature.

"Wild birds do not need to be hand fed," said Jessica Deacon-Rogers, programming coordinator at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre in a release.

"Birds living in the Lethbridge river valley have chosen to live here because there are lots of natural food sources and shelter nearby."

Officials say birds that have been fed by humans could have reduced survival rates because their diets are less nutritionally balanced.

Furthermore, birds who have close contact with people tend to lose their fear of humans and can result in conflicts between people and wildlife.

Taylor Heckler, an educational program leader at the Helen Schuler Centre, says there have been situations where birds fly aggressively at people, looking for food.

"This happens frequently when we are outside with children on school fieldtrips. Unfortunately, this is an alarming experience that has the potential to be dangerous for both the birds and the children," Heckler said.

The city says even the food that people give to wild birds can cause problems.

For example, some birds like chickadees and woodpeckers take seed they are baited with and hide it somewhere else.

"The cached seeds eventually grow into weeds, which have the potential to spread throughout the park over time. This degrades the habitat for other wildlife species," the city said.

Any other food, including excess seed, left in the area can be a food source for other wildlife populations, such as mice, coyotes, raccoons and skunks.

"As a result, feeding leads to unnatural population numbers for many other species," the city said. "Leftover bits of seeds and hulls become moldy, leading to illness in the birds that eat it. Feeding also contributes to overcrowding, which in turn leads to outbreaks of disease."

Deacon-Rogers says if anyone enjoys viewing wild birds, there are plenty of different ways to do it without the negative impacts on wildlife.

"Providing habitat in urban areas is very important. Having shrubs, trees and naturalized areas in your yard provide excellent food sources and habitat for birds. Clean, potable sources of water will also attract birds to your property."

Further information about wild birds in Lethbridge's river valley can be found on the Helen Schuler Centre's website.