Collie Ennis, Biodiversity Officer at Trinity College Dublin said fighting against the urge to feed birds was “disappointing" but necessary.
Birdwatch Ireland have urged people not to feed garden birds during the summer months.
This is due to an increase in the threat of a disease which spreads through garden bird feeders and apparently has already had a serious impact on Ireland's finch family.
Collie Ennis, Biodiversity Officer at Trinity College Dublin said fighting against the urge to feed birds was “disappointing" but necessary.
“I love watching the birds come into my garden, watching, observing them on the feeders”, he told The Hard Shoulder on Friday.
“This disease that's spreading on the feeders and through the feeders is really having a devastating effect on some of our finch populations and birds in general.
“It's really important that we pay heed to the experts and Birdwatch Ireland are the experts.”
The disease causes ulcers and infections in the birds' throats and in their mouths which impedes their feeding.
Single bird in flight at nest entrance, Bulgaria, May 2010.Infected birds can be seen puffed up on the ground, or appear lethargic.
How stopping bird feeding can save them
He advised people to “keep washing their feeders, board tables or even steer away from board tables altogether” due to harmful pathogens."
“This is new advice because anything birds leave on the table, including feces, leaves potential for spreading disease.
“Another thing people can do is try and provide natural food for them.
“Our gardens are quite sterile, some gardens look like prison yards, mocking gardens nowadays and if you can kind of bring back some native wildflowers, native seeds, some insects are really important for birds to eat.
“So this is a way you can kind of help them out without having to use the feeders which are spreading the disease.”
He urged people to give part of their gardens back to nature thanks to “flower beds, standing water, small wildlife ponds.”
Pigeons on a tree. Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images“It's such valuable real estate nowadays”, he told Newstalk.
“Especially in the urban centres, where there's very little space left for nature.
“It's something to think about and great for your head as well. People are yearning for that.”
The advice was to stop feeding birds from May to October and to instead leave mealworms or to leave them alone.
Main Image: Birds take flight from Skerries. Picture by: RollingNews.ie.
