Plea to avoid feeding ducks at reserve

Sussex Wildlife Trust has urged people to stop feeding the ducks at Woods Mill nature reserve in Henfield.

The conservation charity warned excess bread was polluting the lake and harming wildlife.

The charity said nutrient pollution, which is caused by large amounts of food being thrown into the water, could cause harmful algal blooms, which deplete the lake’s oxygen and kill off aquatic wildlife.

“Excess bread is also harmful to the ducks and can cause malnutrition, disease and bad behaviour,” said Charlotte Owen, conservation officer at Sussex Wildlife Trust.

“We are now seeing a large group of last year’s ducklings constantly roaming the reserve in search of people who might feed them, rather than exhibiting natural behaviour.”

The risk of algal blooms also increases in warm, sunny weather when algae can reproduce exponentially, said the charity, adding that the lake was ‘primed for disaster’ unless people stopped throwing food.

Charlotte said: “Ducks naturally eat a wide range of aquatic insects, snails, worms, pond weed and other vegetation.”

A natural and balanced diet is important during the breeding season, she said, as the birds need to provide their young with the appropriate food.

“There are healthier alternatives that can be fed to ducks, such as peas, sweetcorn, chopped greens but since Woods Mill is a nature reserve, we are asking that no additional food is provided to any of the wildlife on site.”