How can I stop birds which have migrated to the UK eating food which I have put out for the indigenous birds?

Question

While feeding the ducks at the weekend, I noticed some birds which migrate here for the summer floating on the pond.

I tried to aim my bread at the indigenous species but these immigrant types just piled in and helped themselves.

They will probably start laying eggs here next and claiming the right to stay here, or taking council nests and getting loads of seed handouts.

What can be done about these scroungers?

A True Gentleman is obviously a genius as he spotted what I did!
Not sure about "Gentleman" though....

Answer 1

I think you need to rant and rave on a forum like this about illegal immigrant birds taking the bread from the beaks of our own birds.

Quite ignoring the fact that the immigrant birds would like the opportunity to work hard singing, dispersing seeds and pollinating plants, while the idle British ducks just want to bob up and down on the water and accept hand-outs of Mother's Pride, rather than do an honest day's work. But don't they quack if they see the foreign birds getting anything!!

Answer 2

You can't. In any case, most of the summer birds we get here in UK migrate from elsewhere. Here in London we get hundreds of thousands of Swifts overhead - usually from late May until the end of September. Can't miss them - they spend most of their time screaming overhead as they catch food on the wing - horrid insects.

Any one daft enough to land in my garden will get eaten by my two marauding pirate Magpies. They're busy nest building at the moment. Well, ripping twigs from last year's nest and building a new one in another one of my trees. My Magpies ate all the sparrows last year, so heaven knows what they'll eat this year - the neighbour's cat would be a good idea!

Answer 3

i don't think the problem is the migrant birds but that there is too many of them. Possibly some kind of control is needed. Some contribute to the area as a whole. Not all migrant birds are the same, that is very narrow thinking.

as for the migrant birds from Pakistan, well they bred like rabbits just to spread their way of life so maybe they should be culled.

Answer 4

I've long been lobbying for Avian Passport controls, and I can only sympathise with your plight. There are theories that it balances itself out though, as apparently in early autumn our mallards and teals head off to mallorca and the algarve to steal local fish supplies from the mouths of baby seagulls.

Answer 5

If you were in the US, I'm sure some congressman would want to hold hearings on this.

I had a similar problem. We have birdfeeders in our yard, and there is also a squirrel around who eats the bird food. My feeling.. he's hungry,too.

Answer 6

.Put up a nasty notice,we can't have all these foreigners stealing the food from the very beaks of our native birds,When is the government going to close this blatant loophole in the E.E.C.. food regulations?

Answer 7

I see what you've done there..you've taken an issue that people are concerned about and instead of relating it to human beings you've changed it to birds. You are a true genius!!

Answer 8

Just somther the bread in brown sauce that should do the trick.

Answer 9

Now this is one of those times when you need to read between the lines.

Answer 10

you will have to follow some of the more enlightened councils by erecting signs in foreign languages requesting that they do'nt eat the local's food!!!(i loved your question,it made me laugh)