Plea to feed Strathclyde Park Loch birds (UK)

[Donna]

A LANARKSHIRE couple have asked residents across the county to help them feed pond wildlife at Strathclyde Park this winter. Frances and Alan McKnight spend over an hour each day shredding vegetables to feed to swans, ducks, geese and coots.The birds are struggling to find food in the extreme winter conditions, which has left the majority of the park loch frozen over, and they rely heavily on food from humans to help them survive. The Motherwell couple are urging people to help.
Frances said: “We have been feeding the pond birds in Strathclyde Park for the last two winters due to the freezing conditions.
“The majority of the loch is frozen over and it is very difficult for the birds to find food.
“Few people venture down to the park in this weather and fewer still bring bread to feed the birds so they really are suffering.
“The birds are also mostly at the sandy beach side, opposite the water centre, and very few people venture over there at this time of year so we would love to see more people help by going along and feeding them, as we do.�
So far this year the couple have rescued four swans from the loch, one of which unfortunately died on the way to the RSPCA centre in Hamilton.
Frances continued: “Some of the birds are stranded out on the ice, frozen onto it. Already we have rescued four swans, including signets.
“The park rangers do nothing really to assist. They could at least open up some of the ice which would not put them in danger and allow them more access to food in the water.
“It is such a shame that the council, who own the park and look forward to the visitors it brings in each year, do nothing either to subsidise the birds.�
Frances, a performance officer for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, has done much research on the birds and discovered they have a vegetarian diet and enjoy cuttings of potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage and lettuce.
She added: “Peelings and leftovers of vegetables can all be shredded to suitable size for the birds to pick up with their beaks. Bread, although not their natural diet, will help sustain them and keep them alive.
“The birds, as well as needing food, have ice on their feathers which is not ideal, so please help by giving up 10 minutes of time to go along and feed them this winter.�
A spokesperson for RSPB Scotland said: “There are lots of things that people can do to help our wild birds during this cold weather.
“Because water is freezing over, birds like swans, ducks and geese can have problems finding food.
“If you want to help these sorts of birds, the best thing for them is something like corn or wheat but not many of us have that easy to hand! Vegetables like cabbage are okay, but you’d be better with something like potatoes which are more calorific.�
Countryside Rangers at Strathclyde Park have bird feeders for smaller birds near the Watersports Centre.
Gerry Lewis, senior conservation officer, said: “We always appreciate information from members of the public who are concerned about wildlife within the Park, and, together with the SSPCA, are monitoring the impact of this severe weather on the birds on Strathclyde Loch. People are more than welcome to help birds in hard times by using the advice supplied by RSPB.�

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