The Town of Newmarket plans to restrict the number of bird feeders residents can have on their property.
Council tentatively agreed to push forward an animal control bylaw amendment that includes a clause to limit the number of bird feeders to six per property. This is being done to address some complaints regarding the number of feeders on some properties in town and problems that can arise from wildlife because of them.
Mayor John Taylor said those who enjoy bird feeding as a hobby should be able to manage with that number.
“It’s really a tool to deal with extreme circumstances,” he said. “I can’t imagine this is impacting too, too many people … This is really targeted at those problematic areas, and they do arise.”
The move comes after the municipality received five complaints related specifically to bird feeder use since Jan. 1, 2023. A resident, Lisa Karamaritis, also presented to council Sept. 16 to express concern about a neighbouring property where feeders were causing issues, such as hanging feeders on fences attracting raccoons. She also questioned the property having at least 16 feeding devices.
“For a person wanting to feed birds for the simple enjoyment of bird watching, it is my respectful opinion that even one would suffice,” she said in a presentation to council. “Sixteen feeders is excessive.”
Director of legislative services Lisa Lyons said it is not common in York Region to limit bird feeders, but it does happen in some communities. The limit of six comes from a jurisdictional scan, with “no real rhyme or reason or science behind that number,” Lyons said, but “what we thought would be a good number that we could address some of the concerns that we’re seeing.
“There's not a lot of concerns, but enough that if we do have a complaint at a property that we would be able to address it moving forward,” Lyons said.
Wild Birds Unlimited owner specialist Kristen Martyn presented to council to voice her opposition to the change. She said bird feeders provide significant benefits and are important given the historic decline in bird populations. She also said different feeders attract different birds, and you could have six different foods intended to help a wide range of species.
“It would be very unfortunate to make an amendment to this bylaw to appease one or just a few people at the expense of so many broader community benefits, and of course, the birds,” she said.
Coun. Jane Twinney said she struggled with feeling they need to be a governing authority on bird feeder numbers.
“It’s just a little bit too much for me to feel like we should be governing that kind of thing,” Twinney said.
But Coun. Victor Woodhouse said he fully supports the changes.
“I believe with that number of feeders you’re more than able to adequately attract the birds that you would like,” Woodhouse said, adding that he is also concerned by some of the other animals that bird feeders can attract. "We certainly feed the squirrels, we feed the chipmunks and certainly, we feed the raccoons with those feeders.
“I do not see the necessity of it,” Woodhouse added about properties with a higher number of feeder. “I don’t think it’s up to one person to feed huge quantities of birds.”
The municipality was already undertaking a review to make minor amendments to its animal control bylaw. The update tentatively approved by council also added that noise provisions apply to all animals and not just dogs and added more enforcement powers such as adding costs of any work undertaken by the town to property taxes of the violating property.
The bylaw is also changing to add more restrictions on the keeping of pigeons, allowing them to be kept but prohibiting an owner from letting them create nuisance noise, defecate on neighbouring properties or perch/roost on neighbouring properties.
Coun. Christina Bisanz said the feeder change provides a chance for officers to do education rather than restrict and be prohibitive.
“But also to show that we all have to respect our neighbours,” Bisanz said. “We have to be respectful … I don’t know that six is a magic number, but it at least it does provide bylaws with a tool to enforce, but most importantly, I think, to educate when a situation has risen to a point where it really is bothersome to the neighbours.”
