Ducks in some of Bolton’s most popular parks are feeling happier, healthier and better fed thanks to new automatic birdseed dispensers.
The special units dispense individual portions of birdfeed that is healthy for wildfowl like ducks, swans and geese.
Each portion costs £1 and ten per cent of the proceeds are donated back to local communities to help fund environmental projects.
Bolton Council agreed to put machines in Queens Park, Doffcocker Lodge and Moses Gate Country Park to tackle problems caused by people giving bread to wildfowl.
Bread is unhealthy for the wildfowl, while uneaten bread left on the ground can encourage dangerous vermin.
When the bread decays in ponds and lakes it can cause a fungus that damages the birds’ feathers, with potentially deadly consequences.
Several outbreaks – which appear to turn swans pink – have been seen in Moses Gate Country Park in recent years.
The swans had to be captured and nursed back to health before they could be released back into the park.
Bolton Council put up signs at Moses Gate Country Park and Doffcocker Lodge last year to discourage people from feeding wildfowl with bread.
The Feed the Ducks Initiative installed the new machines and keeps them stocked with seeds, at no cost to the council.
Payment is contactless, meaning no cash is kept in the machines.
They are also environmentally friendly.
Each dispenser is solar powered and made using recycled plastic that diverts the equivalent of 20,000 plastic bottles from landfill.
Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Climate Change and Environment, Cllr Richard Silvester, said:
“We know how much people of all ages love coming to the parks to feed the ducks and swans.
“We would never want people to lose that enjoyment, but at the same time we have a responsibility to keep the birds healthy and we have seen some quite serious problems in recent years.
“The duck feed machines are a wonderful idea and I hope people will enjoy feeding the birds, comfortable in the knowledge that they are keeping them healthy.”