At Ram Pasture Pond––

Orphaned Domestic Birds Are Sitting Ducks

By Dottie Evans

Whoever said things are seldom what they seem might have been talking about the birds of Hawley Pond.

Throngs of ducks and geese of all sizes and shapes seem to be living together in some sort of Ram Pasture Peaceable Kingdom. They float in the still pond waters, fly in and fly out, waddle along the shore, and sleep under the bushes.

Passersby might be thinking what an idyllic picture this makes. So many varieties wintering here in the center of Newtown where they can be enjoyed by all residents.

Some even stop at the bridge to toss bread and crackers and watch the big geese come running. Then they climb back into their cars thinking they have done a good deed.

Not necessarily so.

A careful look at the pond’s avian population reveals that not all are wild, native species such as mallards, Canada geese, and gulls.

“If you’re there every day you see a whole different picture,” said Nancy Sprung of Papoose Hill Road.

Ms Sprung recently wrote a letter to the editor in The Bee drawing attention to the plight of about 30 abandoned domestic ducks and geese that are mingling with the wild birds at Hawley Pond.

The ducks she refers to are the large Muscovy type –– white with black markings, bred for their meat and kept as pets. Originally from South America, these ducks may nest and perch in trees, but the large females are totally incapable of flight. Out of their element, they are vulnerable to predation and disease.

“Originally, there were 20 Muscovies there, but several were killed by predators,” Ms Sprung said during an interview Tuesday.

She added that she knows the identity of the person who “dumped them there in the first place.” She believes they were originally purchased at the Big E State Fair in Enfield, Mass., and left at Hawley Pond because “it was thought they would look nice there.”

There is also a small flock of domesticated geese numbering around 13 at the pond. They are large, brown-and-white, and flightless like the Muscovy ducks.

“There were five geese to begin with, but four were killed. Now a whole new batch of 12 or 13 seem to have been dropped off,” Ms Sprung said.

With both these domesticated species, the feathers are not long enough for flight and there is no native ability to survive off the land. Abandoned by their owners, the Muscovy ducks and geese are living out a perilous existence where coyotes and foxes can easily pick them off in the dark of night. They are also subject to malnutrition and disease because a steady diet of bread and crackers is not sufficient to sustain them.

“Wild birds like Canada geese can fly off at night to chosen roosting spots. They feed in the fields. These domesticated ones can’t go anywhere,” Ms Sprung explained.

If the cold does not get them, then the coyotes and foxes will.

Tag Teams Organized To Feed Cracked Corn

What the birds really need, Ms Sprung insists, is some sort of shelter where they can go at night to be safe. She hopes residents who have outside sheds and a fenced-in pen will step forward and offer to take two or three of the birds home as permanent pets.

“I’d like to see them all placed with families and gone from the pond.”

But until homes can be found, Ms Sprung has asked for help in feeding quality food on a regular schedule. So far, the response has been encouraging.

“I’ve had eight calls. One was from a 12-year-old boy who said he will earn money to pay for the feed.”

Another volunteer was Jill Dunham, who lives on nearby Elizabeth Street. Her house is close enough to the pond that she can see the lighted Ram Pasture tree from her bedroom window. Unfortunately, she is also close enough to hear the screams at night of birds being caught by predators.

 Although Ms Dunham has not got room to keep domestic ducks or geese in her yard, she has joined Ms Sprung’s roster of volunteers, and she has been given an assigned day to feed, once a week.

“We try to go in the morning so they’ll fill up on good food before people come with the crackers and popcorn. Then we try to go again in the afternoon,” Ms Sprung said.

Ms Sprung sums up the situation in the following way.

“You could say that this is just nature’s way. Everybody has got to live –– even coyotes and foxes. But those birds shouldn’t be there to begin with. We need to discourage this. Both the dumping of helpless domestic ducks and geese, and the feeding of nonnutritious food.”

Get them off the pond before they become somebody else’s supper.

Animal Abandonment Laws Should Be Enforced

In an effort to find a solution, Ms Sprung was able to contact Karen Benzel, public affairs director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center (831-622-7588; www.ibrrc.org) about the plight of the Muscovy ducks and domestic geese abandoned at Hawley Pond.

Ms Benzel replied that because domestic ducks and geese “are not cold weather birds at all,” they should not have been left to fend for themselves.

At the very least, a sign should be posted down by the pond warning people not to feed bread or crackers and not to abandon domesticated birds there.

“Your city council needs to enforce animal abandonment laws and then find homes for them,” Ms Benzel said in an email dated January 7. She also suggested that concerned individuals contact United Poultry Concerns at www.upc-online.org/.

Anyone wishing to help may call Nancy Sprung at 426-5243. Domestic ducks and geese should be fed only cracked corn, which is available at The Big Y and Lexington Gardens, or duck and game pellets, which may be purchased in bulk at Agway in Bethel.