Ducks are common to see on English ponds and lakes. Like all wildlife, it’s best to leave them alone, for their safety. We have lots of species of ducks (those funny exotic looking ducks are escapees from zoos in South America years ago). These social creatures can live up to 20 years, and are so friendly, they even chat to other, while still eggs waiting to hatch! If you’ve ever seen ducks sleeping with one eye open on the banks, that’s because ducks can literally shut off one part of their brains to go to sleep, while remaining alert with the other.
Here are some ways we can help ducks:
- Don’t eat duck. This is a no-brainer. If you like Chinese food, try this recipe for crispy duck pancakes (keep away from pets, as it’s not real meat) or buy mock duck (braised seitan in gravy) in health stores.
- If you’re an angler, Monomaster is a nifty invention to store fishing line, the design does not encourage nesting birds. Voluntary bans on lead shot have not worked (100,000 wildfowl die yearly from ingesting metal in used pellets (lead shot also harms up to half a million other creatures).
- If you keep ducks, Omlet has a good suite of care pages, including food, housing and diseases and predators to keep safe from. One tip to humanely deter foxes is to get the male member of the household to urinate in the garden, apparently it’s a good deterrent!
- Support Sally’s Ducks, one of England’s duck rescue charities, which takes in elderly or disabled ducks needing a safe home.
- Boycott anywhere that sells pate de foie gras. This is when geese (and ducks) are force-fed until their pates turn to liver. It’s banned in the UK to produce, but still sold in some shops, hotels and restaurants.
- Harming any native wildlife is illegal. If you see anything of concern, report to wildlife crime unit (can be anonymous).
should you feed leftover bread to wildfowl?
As a rule, no. Obviously if they are starving, but ducks, geese and swans easily find pond food underwater (their natural food). We’re a country of 60 million people, so everyone giving a ‘little bit of bread’ can do more harm than good. Never feed mouldy/stale/crusty bread (or crackers) as they can choke. Nor buttered bread (like leftover sandwiches), as butter smears on feathers, affecting waterproofing/insulation).
