Look, we all love birds, right?
Well, OK, not when birds are pooping on my car or waking me up at 5 a.m. with their chirping.
But beyond that I love birds.
Feeding them, however, must be done in a responsible way that doesn’t end up attracting rodents.
Some local resident let me know about the “mouse problems” taking place between 13th Street and 15th Avenue due to a bird lover spreading bird feed all over the street.
“It’s an infestation now,” wrote Todd. “We know who is doing it and I’ve warned her that dumping the bird food all over the place is just attracting rodents. She doesn’t seem to care.”
The rodents are not just wandering the sidewalks and bushes – they are now getting into people’s homes. (Other areas are reporting a larger problem of rats in alleys due to the poor garbage disposal of some restaurants.)
“I found someone feeding birds on a public street, and it’s caused mouse problems that need to be stopped,” said another resident, named Peter. “This is happening every day. Mice are everywhere, even inside of homes. I can hear the mice making noise every night. The City of Burnaby told me that they could do nothing to help, and asked me to contact SPCA, or Fraser Health. No response received yet from Fraser Health. SPCA told me to contact the BC Conservation Officer, and I did, but no response yet.”
This is a classic case of unintentional consequences. Often it’s residents with backyards who put out feeders for one type of creature but who ended up attracting others. Or gardeners who plant vegetables and end up attracting deer or other animals.
It’s harmless activity, but it can have consequences. Attracting mice and rats is not a good way to be loved by your neighbours so perhaps give it a rest.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
