I have been threatened with a "substantial fine", after a neighbour reported me for feeding the birds. I was unaware of the new law, and am scared of some sort of strange retribution.
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Hi renerunner. That must have been a shock!
A couple of questions:
Has Bayside City Council threatened you with a fine or has Council simply informed you that there are fines for feeding birds? (I'm in SA so I'm unaware of the local law where you live).
Did Council mention any particular species which you shouldn't be feeding? E.g., there's growing awareness that people should not, repeat, not feed Indian Mynas as they're an introduced species which is having a disastrous impact on Australia's native birds.
Did Council provide you with information about the more appropriate way of feeding birds? That is, to put in plants which are naturally local to your area so that you provide the birds the food to which they're naturally adapted.
Did Council provide you with information about avoiding the creation of dependency by artificially feeding birds?
Did Council provide you with any information about the life-threatening health risks to certain native bird species, e.g., Lorikeets, from artificial feeding?
If there was no information from Council about these issues then I would think you would be fully justified in politely asking Council for this information so that you can contribute to the well-being of the native birds in your garden & neighbourhood.
If you're interested you might like to type <artificial feeding of birds> in the search box near the top of this page in order to obtain information about this topic.
Hi I recently "house sat" for friends in a Bayside suburb. They have a neighbour who appears to have large amounts of bread, rolls, etc and places them on the nature strip, for the birds, every couple of days. The other neighbours are concerned as it is unsightly and will also feed unwanted birds such as starlings, indian mynas and RATS. Maybe if this is happening in other Bayside suburbs, councils have had to become assertive.
Which "Bayside" are you?
A couple of options - stop feeding the birds or report your neighbours for watering their driveways.
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
I think it's appropriate for councils to become assertive about the inappropriate feeding of birds but at the same time it would be appropriate for councils to inform people about the appropriate way to feed birds. A Bayside wide education programme would seem to be appropriate.