Here’s why Burnaby shouldn’t go to the birds

A warning to parkgoers from the Burnaby Lake Park Association: avian flu is still circulating in North America, and hand-feeding wild birds is not a good idea.

Chair of the association, Irene Lau, says some visitors are ignoring signs posted around the park that warn of the risks of feeding wild birds.

As of June, there were avian flu outbreaks declared at several poultry farms in British Columbia, including in the Fraser Valley and Richmond.

But Lau said distance is not so much a problem for wild birds, and therefore the disease is likely not contained to those farms.

“They’re birds, they don’t care about boundaries, and they’ll fly anywhere. I mean, even the birds at Burnaby Lake—because we’re on the Pacific Flyway, which is the migration path, we get lots of visitors,” Lau said.

“Even something like a tiny hummingbird [can fly] right down to Mexico. So you think the Fraser Valley is not such, you know, it seems far, but it’s not really.”

While avian flu isn’t likely to jump from birds to humans, there have been some rare documented cases of humans becoming infected, with the disease ranging from mild cases to severe illness causing death.

Lau said avian flu aside, however, handling any kind of bird and animal species involves risking illness.

She said birds at Burnaby Lake Park already have access to high quality and consistent food sources, and fallen birdseed can attract pests like rodents, and even bears.

And another reason not to arrive at the park with a bucket of birdseed?

“Habituation. When birds fly off to other places, are they going to be expected to be fed—kind of the same thing with coyotes and things like that. Then they get aggressive … I mean, it’s instinctual. You never know with birds, but are they going to know how to source food for their own purposes?” Lau said.

“If you go down to Piper Spit, you will know that if you just put your hand up, there is a very high potential that a bird will land on your head expecting food. A lot of people go down there for that experience, and it is magical. But it’s just during this time, we’re asking people to hold off on feeding the birds right now.”

In May, the BC SCPA asked people with backyard bird feeders and bird baths to take them down temporarily with more avian flu cases being discovered—noting that birds who snacked on fallen seed on the ground were being exposed to droppings that could spread the highly pathogenic virus.

It’s also important to report any sick or dead birds you come across so they can be safely disposed of.

In BC, you can report sick or dead wild birds to the provincial Wild Bird Reporting Line at 1-866-431-2473.