Feeding wildfowl on Barden Lake

Last week I took a number of photographs on an early morning walk around Barden Lake, and there were many people enjoying feeding the ducks, swans and geese. Please be careful if you must feed the swans as their behaviour can be unpredictable. Also encouraging them out of the water and onto dry land does put the swan in danger from dogs, or passing bikes and vehicles.

RSPB advice on feeding swans is as follows:-

'Swans normally find enough food in the wild without supplementary feeding. It is only in freezing weather that extra food can be helpful. Many people like feeding bread to swans and while this is unlikely to do them any real harm in the long term, it is no substitute for the proper diet that the birds themselves will seek out.

Grain, such as wheat, and vegetable matter, especially lettuce and potatoes, can be fed to swans. Food should be thrown into the water to avoid encouraging the birds onto the bank.'