If you are planning to take your children to the local duck pond this weekend or heading out to the lakes of the Cotswold or along the canal, you may want to reconsider your choice of snack for the ducks.
Although many of us have fond childhood memories of throwing bread in the water for the ducks to eat, it can actually do more harm than good, according to the Canal and River Trust.
Bread can cause a whole range of problems for ducks, other wildlife and waterways - ranging from malnutrition to the overcrowding of bird populations.
Malnutrition
Like us, ducks need a balanced diet to be healthy. Bread does not carry much nutritional value and fills ducks up so much that they have no desire to forage for the foods they naturally should eat, such as insects and seeds.
This is a big problem when so many people feed ducks bread.
Overcrowding of bird populations
Feeding bread to waterfowl can lead to overcrowding, as it will attract other birds to the area who are looking to eat. These birds can then become aggressive, spread diseases between flocks and overgraze on the grass banks surrounding the pond.
In addition to the increase in birds, the bread will also attract pests - such as rats and foxes - the latter obviously posing a threat to birds.
Pollution
Often, too much bread is thrown into the pond and goes uneaten. This uneaten bread can attract bad nutrients, leading to greater growth of algae and causing disease to spread. It can also attract rats.
Another bad effect bread can have on the environment is an increase in bird droppings due to overcrowding. In addition to being slippy and smelling, an excess of bird droppings can reduce water quality and block waterways with unhealthy algae.
What should you feed ducks instead?
If you're wondering what to feed ducks instead of bread - then don't panic as there's a whole list of more suitable foods which you probably already have.
Fresh, tinned or defrosted sweetcorn is a hit with wildfowl, as are defrosted peas - there is no need to cook them.
Across the country, we are guilty of wasting excess lettuce. Instead of throwing it in the bin next time, you could tear it up and take it down to your local ponds for the ducks to enjoy. It turns out that ducks are partial to salad leaves - including rocket, kale and iceberg lettuce.
Oats are apparently a favourite too, including flapjacks, rolled oats and instant porridge oats. Seeds, part of their natural diet, are also a good shout, regardless of whether you use bird seed or seeds from the health aisle of a supermarket.
Rice, whether cooked or uncooked, also goes down a treat.
Gill Harrison, a spokesperson for the Canal and River Trust in Wales and the South West, said: "Now we can enjoy a bit more time outdoors, getting up close to wildlife is one of the simple joys of being on the canal and feeding the ducks is a great family activity.
"All we ask is that people think about feeding the ducks something healthier than the usual bread. Ducks need a varied diet and feeding them bread is a bit like giving them a pizza everyday, which isn't good for their health.
"It's not good for the waterways, encourages pests and creates excessive amounts of bird droppings which, along with being smelly and slippery underfoot, can reduce water quality and clog waterways with harmful algae."
