No fowl play! Visitors urged not to feed landmark's geese

Visitors have been asked not to feed the Canada geese in Buxton’s Pavilion Gardens, with councillors blaming their “unsightly and unhygienic” droppings for messy footpaths.

High Peak Council (HPBC) insists they don’t plan to cull the birds, but will instead plant vegetation the waterfowl don’t eat to act as a natural barrier between the park’s lakes and grassed areas. 

It says a reduction in feeding will naturally reduce the goose population, especially as they now expect an easy meal from visitors. 

"That is contributing to the issues people report with maintenance and the increase in the rat population,” said Jean Todd, Executive Councillor for Climate Change and Environment. 

"Feeding the birds with an unnatural diet can also cause them to be unhealthy. 

“We know that many people enjoy the water birds when they visit the Gardens so we're appealing to everyone to engage with them in other ways instead. 

"Take photographs, sketch, and encourage the whole family to see how many different birds they can identify. We want to keep our wildlife - but we want to keep it wild." 

The goose droppings can also have a negative effect on the water quality of the lakes, raising the nutrient levels and disrupting their finely balanced ecosystems. 

“We know from the surveys we've done, feedback from local councillors, and the public comments we've received that people want to see this amazing park managed in a way that strikes a good balance of space for visitors to enjoy whilst retaining the presence of the water birds,” said Damien Greenhalgh, HPBC’s Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure. 

"To strike this balance, the biggest thing we can all do is stop feeding the birds. We're appealing to everyone visiting the Gardens to do their bit to help support the steps we're taking. 

"The key to sustainable change is changing the habitat so it's less attractive to grazing birds. We've made a start but the planting around the lakes, and the other measures, will take time to establish so are a longer-term solution." 

The council have installed bird identification panels in the park and have made free bird count sheets available from the Gardens complex and kiosk.