Please DO feed the ducks and swans during lockdown in Milton Keynes, urge wildlife food experts

Specialist food supplies company Ark Wildlife is giving away tonnes of its Ark Duck & Swan Floating Food to animal sanctuaries and waterfowl charities during the lockdown.

They say natural food is limited on inland waters, so ducks and swans which live on ponds and lakes normally rely on supplementary feeding by the general public.

Many are now going hungry and some are at risk of starvation, said an Ark spokesman.

Mallard ducks and the three types of swan found in the UK – mute swan, Berwick’s swan and whooper swan – are currently listed under ‘Amber’ status in the RSPB’s list of Birds of Conservation Concern.

However, the fact that isolation has caused such widespread disruption during the breeding season could mean that we see populations dwindling in future.

Bread has been the traditional duck food for generations of park visitors, but modern white bread is not good for them. Although not harmful, it quickly bloats the birds without giving them the nutrition they need.

A few scraps are fine, but balance it with better food choices and try to use seeded or wholegrain loaves rather than white bread wherever possible, say Ark experts.

They are advising people, if they can safely visit their local waterside, to carry a few kitchen scraps or even some specialist duck food to scatter it on the bankside,

"Ducks and swans will enjoy a number of kitchen scraps so you don’t need to spend money to help," said the spokesman.

.Good nutritional scraps include raw or cooked sweetcorn, peas, oats, cabbage, kale and lettuce,

"Even better, you can buy nutritionally balanced duck and swan food online and this will provide a balanced diet for all the birds, particularly young growing birds at this vital time of year," said the spokesman.

The company's director Sean McMenemy said: "This lockdown has occurred during the breeding season and is the worst thing that could happen to our ducks and swans. They’d normally be able to rely on public feeding or donations to the charities to supplement their food. All these populations are suffering due to the lack of public access to parks, nature reserves and the like."

"The donation of five tonnes of food from Ark Wildlife made to animal sanctuaries and waterfowl charities throughout the UK will hopefully go some way towards making up for the lost contributions, with people rightly spending increased time in isolation indoors. We would, however, implore those who are able to get outside on their daily exercise to support the duck and swan wildlife in their local park.”