Ban The Bread!

where there is food, there will be gulls, ducks and geese

For many nature lovers, feeding geese and ducks with some stale bread or kitchen leftovers is a treasured childhood memory. However, feeding birds can change their behavior and  encourage them to congregate around our public parks and waterbodies. Bird waste from Canada geese, ducks, and gulls is a huge contributor of both nutrients and bacteria to Warwick's waters. In addition, feeding birds is bad for their health since it replaces their natural diet with human food that is lacking in nutrients.

For homeowners who live near the water and have a neatly mowed lawn, Canada geese can become a nuisance that both impacts water quality and interferes with children or pets. Easy access to food sources introduction of geese by humans means that some populations of Canada geese to are nonmigratory, or resident, which means they do not fly south for the winter and instead contribute pollution to our waters 365 days a year. You can learn more about resident Canada geese from Eastern RI Conservation District here.

You can do your part to prevent pollution from geese, ducks, and gulls by:

• Leaving the bread behind and encouraging your children and grandchildren to enjoy birds through bincoulars.
• Planting a tall barrier of shrubs or grasses between your home's lawn and neighboring streams or ponds. Canada geese do not like to congregate in areas where there is not a clear visual line between the lawn and the water.
• Packing out any food waste that you create while visit Warwick's fresh or salt waters.