No-Feeding Rule Ruffles the Feathers of Duck Fans

It’s difficult not to feed the ducks, said folks lazing Saturday beside a pond in Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Regional Park.

The reason many say they like to sit on the rocks is to toss bread, crackers and croutons, hoping to coax the ducks to shore for a closer look.

No more. Because 150 ducks have died recently due to a combination of hot weather, bacteria and human food in the pond, newly posted signs and banners plead with visitors not to feed the waterfowl.

Tina Kolosky, 47, of Buena Park, lamented the new rules. Feeding the ducks is part of the pleasure of visiting a park pond, she said.

“We just fed them graham crackers earlier,” said Kolosky, who has an 8-year-old daughter. “You do it, and the kids can see them up close.”

Many visitors, however, seemed to be responding to the new warning signs. And with little food coming their way, ducks congregated Saturday farther away, on an artificial island.

“It really is a shame to me,” said Dana McKinney, 31, of Fullerton. “I learn about people by just sitting and watching animals. That’s why I sit here on a bench, just to watch them do their thing. . . . It’s like your dog at your dinner table. It’s hard not to feed them. I didn’t even know bread could [contribute to making] them sick.”

Over the last two weeks, warm weather has caused bacteria to flourish, unleashing avian botulism in duck ponds across Orange County. According to experts, here’s what happens: Heat spurs the bloom of algae, which then depletes oxygen in the water; at the same time, feces left by large numbers of ducks feeds the growth of botulin-producing bacteria. Birds with botulism poisoning become paralyzed and die. Human food exacerbates the problem because bacteria clings to the food.

The occasional death of a duck--about a half-dozen during the year--is part of park life. But the large number of deaths “blew us away,” said Richard Huffnagle, supervising park ranger.

Huffnagle said ducks should be eating worms, grass and other bugs in the wash. Instead, many were feeding on tortillas, potato chips, French fries and bread. “We’re not out to harass the public,” he said. “We’re out to save the waterfowl.”

Talbert Marsh in nearby Huntington Beach has had similar problems, as has Laguna Niguel Regional Park, experts said. Ducks aren’t the only victims. Egrets, pigeons and crows also suffer.

On Saturday, Linda DesLauriers, 39, of Garden Grove, said she doesn’t want to harm the birds, but was “extremely disappointed” that feeding the ducks is no longer allowed.

“That’s how you get close to the ducks--you give them some food,” she said, adding that to not be able to give them a crumb or two “feels really sad to me.”