Some Halloween decorations can be harmful to wildlife, say NB bird experts

The spooky season is here. And while it may be tempting to celebrate with fake spider webs, lights, and carved pumpkins, experts say some of these decorations are scarier to wildlife than you might think.

Kelsey Butler, Atlantic and Quebec director for Birds Canada, said the most dangerous decorations, in her opinion, are fake spider webs, usually made from cotton.

“Outside it can be very harmful to birds because if they fly through it they could get tangled or entangled in it,” she said. “Anything with strings or that cotton spider web material should definitely be avoided.”

Butler said fake spider webs don't fall apart as easily as real ones, so they can cause problems if birds large or small come into contact with them.

Bird watcher Alain Clavette said these nets are often coated with an adhesive, making them easy to attach to homes or outdoor displays.

“It’s designed to stick to anything. So if birds are out looking for food – and maybe don’t even get into the net – they can still have a problem with it.”

Birds already encounter obstacles like cars, buildings with windows, power lines and light pollution, Clavette said, and using these decorations only creates more obstacles for them.

He said the problem isn't just limited to Halloween either, but exists throughout most holidays.

Clavette said he once found a dead robin in a Christmas wreath.

“It had garlands and all sorts of little red berries fake in that arrangement and I think that's what unfortunately attracted this robin,” he said.

The bird was tangled in the exhibit and Clavette said he believes it “probably had problems for a while.”

Anything that looks like a food source or nesting material can be deadly, he said.

“We have to be very careful about what we put into nature,” Clavette said. “It’s their home as much as it is ours.”

Butler said balloons are also a concern as fall turns into winter and resources for wildlife become more scarce. Birds look for anything that resembles food, including deflated balloons.

“Birds can become entangled in the string, but can also mistake the balloon itself for food when it is deflated,” Butler said. “There is a risk of suffocation like a child.”

She also said to avoid using alcohol or bleach to preserve pumpkins as Halloween decorations.

“I think bleach is the most common and is really toxic to all wildlife, including birds,” she said.

Butler recommends using vinegar to preserve decorative gourds so they aren't harmful when eaten, she said.

An animal would be less likely to eat a pumpkin freshly coated in bleach, she said, but if the pumpkin sits outside and the smell fades, the likelihood of it being eaten increases.

Clavette said it was wasteful to paint pumpkins or cover them with a toxic substance.

“Why not leave the pumpkins without color because then you can use them as food for donkeys or chickens or wild birds, pheasants – they will all come to these pumpkins,” he said.

Decorative lighting can also attract birds to homes and windows, disrupting their flight patterns, Butler said.

Lights are only a real problem at night, so setting a timer to make the lights turn off automatically would solve the problem.

She said using warmer or red lighting is also a safer alternative.