Watermead Swans

As we go into winter, it is a time to consider our wild birds while we go for our walks around Watermead Park. It is a pleasure to feed the wild birds and in particular the swans.

The website of the Swan Sanctuary for the following guidance:
What do swans eat?
Swans living on fresh water will typically eat pondweed, stonewort and wigeon grass, as well as tadpoles and insects such as milfoil.
Swans living on salt water will typically eat sea arrow grass, salt marsh grass, eel grass, club rush and green algae, as well as insects and molluscs.
What can I feed swans?
If you want to feed swans then give them fresh bread (mould is poisonous to them), grain such as wheat or corn, and fresh greens such as lettuce or spinach. The food should be thrown onto the water so that they can swallow water with the food – feeding them on land is environmentally unsound and encourages the swans to leave the water whenever they see people which can bring them into harm from cars, dogs etc.
Is feeding bread bad for swans?
The simple answer is no, mouldy bread should never be fed and bread should not be the only diet of a swan but bread is not dangerous to swans. There has been much talk recently about banning the feeding of bread to swans but no scientific studies have been made to back up the reasoning behind this. There is a link to a published paper on the Swan sanctuary website shown below, which studied swan feeding habits including the feeding of bread.
https://www.theswansanctuary.org.uk/general-information/
Julie – Watermead Swans