Pensioner could be fined for feeding birds

[imastawka]

A disability pensioner could be fined up to $1,000 for feeding birds in his own backyard.

Brad Martell has been feeding the birds morning and night for the last two decades at his home south-east of Melbourne.

The retiree claims council workers spied on him for weeks before fining him $200 and making him face court where he could be ordered to pay much more.

Initially it was ducks, but virtually every other bird has decided to pop in now and then,' Mr Martell told 9News.

While getting 'great enjoyment' out of feeding the birds he also ruffled a neighbour's feathers.

The neighbour reported Mr Martell to Bayside City Council and claimed the flocks of birds made their backyard unusable.

The disabled pensioner consequently started feeding his feathered friends in the backyard instead of the front.

However, Mr Martell received a summons to court which included nine charges for allegedly breaking 'local law'.  

The retiree is expected to face court on June 26 and if he is prosecuted he could face a fine of up to $1000. 

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/disability-pensioner-could-be-fined-up-to-dollar1000-for-fe...

His own backyard!  Spying on him for three weeks.  Petty-minded bureaucrats.

[enigmabear]

Oh for crying out loud

What a bunch of *words which would be bleeped* 

[the4masters2013]

I am very pleased to be living where I am then, thanks all the same.

We put out bird seed and we have heaps of different birds calling in for something to eat, a drink and a wash in the birdbath.

Our council does a yearly survey on what birds are around. We do the survey which is for birds in our gardens, the trees next door, everywhere except for the parks are surveyed.

Hooray for our local council getting it right!!

[kopenhagen5]

Then if we look at the other side of the story, if 500-600 birds are visiting, that's a lot kaka raining down on the neighbor's head or washing.

Good thing cows don't fly.

[lyhargr_0]

Depends on how many birds he is attracting and what probs they are causing his neighbour/s, am thinking it's not that many. So pleased I dont live in the city

[lyhargr_0]

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@kopenhagen5 wrote:

Then if we look at the other side of the story, if 500-600 birds are visiting, that's a lot kaka raining down on the neighbor's head or washing.

Good thing cows don't fly.

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Plenty of bulls do though, that's why there's so much BS around these days lol

[ecar3483]

It strikes me as a bit odd that a man feeds birds in his front garden and somehow those birds lay waste to the neighbour's back garden...

I don't get it...

🙂

[twyngwyn]

it's called NATURE.....sheesh.....whatever next?.....watering the garden might encourage next-door's weeds??

[shoppingbag*]

Maybe because they do their droppings while in the air. So maybe they fly ( and do their droppings) over the neighbour's yard coming and going.

[springyzone]

I was surprised as I had no idea it was illegal to feed birds in your back yard (or front yard for that matter).

My mother used to feed birds every day in her back yard. She had a few regulars. It would not have been any problem to neighbours as we're talking maybe a dozen birds, not hundreds or anything.

On the face of it, the whole thing sounds ridiculous, officialdom gone mad, BUT I think we would need to actually do as the council workers did and have a look before we could judge.

It's like anything else in life I suppose-there's normal & then there's over the top.

If the pensioner is attracting thousands of birds all day every day, then it could be creating a problem. If I worked for the council I'd want to see the neighbour's house & I would want to see what was happening.

The fact the council fined the man after 3 weeks suggests to me  not that they spied on him constantly without a break for 3 weeks but more that they monitored it off & on for 3 weeks, & I'm thinking there must have been some problem, surely, or else they would not have fined him.