Today’s Daily Telegraph told the story of a couple accused of causing a rat infestation by feeding birds in their garden.
This comes as worrying news on the eve of Feed the Birds Day – but fear not, this is a very rare occurrence among the two thirds of population who regularly leave food out for birds over winter.
The RSPB’s advice is that when feeding birds householders should put out an appropriate amount of food for birds to consume during the day so that it doesn’t build up and get left out overnight when it can attract vermin.
Gardens are a hugely important habitat for songbirds, providing a refuge, especially in winter when food is more scarce. The aim of Feed the Birds day is to promote sensible and responsible bird feeding and show that it can be a real joy.
On Saturday, as part of the nationwide event, RSPB staff and volunteers up and down the country will be encouraging people to do things like leave out seed and put up bird tables in their gardens. There will be events at RSPB reserves with activities for all the family – we’re sure that people will get as much out of the day as birds will.
To find out all about the day, what’s happening near you and how you can get involved visit the web page here - http://www.rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds/