Is the bird problem still there?

[mrtoad]

We were down last year in January and are going back next month. Last January there were so many birds in the MK it was terrible. Is it still the same way or did they find a way to control them? Just trying to prepare my wife who less than thrilled by them.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[NitroStitch]

When I was there at the beginning of December, the seagulls were already pretty bad, and they didn't seem to have tried any anti-bird efforts. Some of the Guests were feeding the seagulls, as usual, so that definitely didn't help. :hammer: I can't speak for January's bird forecast, but at least in early-December, their population was large and obnoxious like it usually is during the winter.

Good luck with the birds and preparing your wife! Maybe someone who's visited more recently has better news for you. I hope.

 

[Woody13]

The birds to which you refer are seagulls. They are on their normal migratory path from north to south this time of year. The greater Orlando area is host to them from December though April each year. The most common are the herring and ring-billed gulls.

WDW is not allowed to touch one feather on these birds. Gulls are classified as migratory species and are protected by federal and state laws.

Seagulls will eat almost anything, from aquatic animals to plant remains. They also welcome French fries and other fast food castoffs, which makes shopping centers and WDW the next best thing to the beach.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Another WDW spot that is inundated with birds is the seating area by Lottawatta Lodge in Blizzard Beach. These birds are not seagulls but they have an addiction to french fries. The problem is people feed them and then they come up to your table and are not shy about trying to steal your food. It's another spot to skip with your Wife

Next WDW trip: Hopefully July!!!

 

[mrtoad]

I just wish people would not feed them because it makes them more apt to get close to anyone with food. I had an issue getting pop corn with my daughter where I was trying to put her in her stroller without losing my popcorn container. I could not put it down to put her in as the birds would have pounced.

We also so someone have their Mickey head taken right off of their Mickey ice cream bar on Main Street prior to the afternoon parade.

 

[PhilosophyMagic]

Just a warning:

The worst bird spot seems to be the outdoor eating area of the Electric Unbrella in Epcot. I was there last thanksgiving and the bird population was insane... stealing food and jumping all over the tables, etc. I think they were mostly non-migratory birds like blackbirds, but I don't even know if they were blackbirds or if blackbirds are non-migratory... Well, if I'm right, they're probably still there, so I'd rrecommend avoiding that area entirely.

I wish WDW were in a dome. I read somewhere that Walt himself wanted a theme park in a dome. I wonder of a dome that mimics the sky is really possible somewhere... Oops. Off topic.

 

[Woody13]

I just wish people would not feed them because it makes them more apt to get close to anyone with food. I had an issue getting pop corn with my daughter where I was trying to put her in her stroller without losing my popcorn container. I could not put it down to put her in as the birds would have pounced.

We also so someone have their Mickey head taken right off of their Mickey ice cream bar on Main Street prior to the afternoon parade.

You are correct sir! We need to train people not to feed the animals. We also need to train people not to spill their popcorn or any other food on the ground and that they should protect their food from birds (and other animals) at all times. People are often attracted to wildlife and use food to get a better look. It makes for a bad combination.

*I must admit I sometimes enjoy watching as stupid humans get outsmarted by birds.*

 

[PhilosophyMagic]

We also so someone have their Mickey head taken right off of their Mickey ice cream bar on Main Street prior to the afternoon parade.

That reminds me of my most traumatic bird experiance. Whaen I was 10 years old, I was walking through Fantasyland with a large, soft pretzel, and a seagull literally swooped out from behind me and SNATCHED the pretzel right out of my hand.

HEY!! How come birds never find their way inside attractions, like the indoor scenes on Splash Mountain? Birds could easily fly into those areas! Hand on... how come they never land on the statues, like the Walt/Mickey statue ("partners") in MK?

 

[speck76]

You are correct sir! We need to train people not to feed the animals. We also need to train people not to spill their popcorn or any other food on the ground and that they should protect their food from birds (and other animals) at all times. People are often attracted to wildlife and use food to get a better look. It makes for a bad combination.

*I must admit I sometimes enjoy watching as stupid humans get outsmarted by birds.*

Bingo......it is not so much that people feed the birds, but that most Americans are so sloppy that they spill their food everywhere and don't clean it up.

 

[donsullivan]

Just a warning:

The worst bird spot seems to be the outdoor eating area of the Electric Unbrella in Epcot. I was there last thanksgiving and the bird population was insane... stealing food and jumping all over the tables, etc. I think they were mostly non-migratory birds like blackbirds, but I don't even know if they were blackbirds or if blackbirds are non-migratory... Well, if I'm right, they're probably still there, so I'd rrecommend avoiding that area entirely.

I wish WDW were in a dome. I read somewhere that Walt himself wanted a theme park in a dome. I wonder of a dome that mimics the sky is really possible somewhere... Oops. Off topic.

I've been there a number of times in recent months and the other day I noticed something odd. I thought I'd started to notice an odd pattern to the bird noises outside in the timing between specific types of sounds, etc.. I think they are actually piping in the sound of a couple of breeds of bird that are keeping that others away in the area surrounding Electric Umbrella. I saw one speaker up in the canopy and I suspect there are a couple of more.

Certainly an interesting approach to what has been an ongoing problem throughout the property. They've tried nearly everything else that doesn't get them in trouble with some environmental or governmental group.

Can anyone confirm this to be true, or whether I'm just loosing my mind (which is indeed possible)?

 

[speck76]

I've been there a number of times in recent months and the other day I noticed something odd. I thought I'd started to notice an odd pattern to the bird noises outside in the timing between specific types of sounds, etc.. I think they are actually piping in the sound of a couple of breeds of bird that are keeping that others away in the area surrounding Electric Umbrella. I saw one speaker up in the canopy and I suspect there are a couple of more.

Certainly an interesting approach to what has been an ongoing problem throughout the property. They've tried nearly everything else that doesn't get them in trouble with some environmental or governmental group.

Can anyone confirm this to be true, or whether I'm just loosing my mind (which is indeed possible)?

The noises that play near the Electric Umbrella and also in Norway are that of "birds of prey"....it is a nice, humane way of keeping many birds away.

 

[marksniles]

Just a warning:

The worst bird spot seems to be the outdoor eating area of the Electric Unbrella in Epcot. I was there last thanksgiving and the bird population was insane... stealing food and jumping all over the tables, etc. I think they were mostly non-migratory birds like blackbirds, but I don't even know if they were blackbirds or if blackbirds are non-migratory... Well, if I'm right, they're probably still there, so I'd rrecommend avoiding that area entirely.

I wish WDW were in a dome. I read somewhere that Walt himself wanted a theme park in a dome. I wonder of a dome that mimics the sky is really possible somewhere... Oops. Off topic.

They did do something about it! When you are at that area of EPCOT you should hear a shreching sound like a bird. It's actually speakers that are located there to scare the other birds away.

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

That reminds me of my most traumatic bird experiance. Whaen I was 10 years old, I was walking through Fantasyland with a large, soft pretzel, and a seagull literally swooped out from behind me and SNATCHED the pretzel right out of my hand.

Same here, around the same age my grandparents took me and bought me a pretzel in Fantasyland and then a bird came and stole it from me. I've got money that it was the same bird. Whose with me on this?

 

[winterparkbaby]

I must be in la la land each time I go to wdw, I was there three times this year and did not notice a bird problem. Maybe it is because I live in Florida and I have just learned to ignore them and the people who think it is cute to feed them.

 

[Cynderella]

I feed the ducks. :lookaroun Specially at Wildnerness Lodge and the Polynesian. I cant help it I just love them so much I want to steal them! I dont feed the other birds just the ducks!

 

[kengels]

Mine...Mine...Mine

 

[Hakunamatata]

Seagulls will eat almost anything, from aquatic animals to plant remains. They also welcome French fries and other fast food castoffs, which makes shopping centers and WDW the next best thing to the beach.

I also understand they enjoy turkey legs, Premium Mickey Bars, and fruit smoothies.....but thats just second hand information.....

 

[BeachClubVillas]

I feed the ducks. :lookaroun Specially at Wildnerness Lodge and the Polynesian. I cant help it I just love them so much I want to steal them! I dont feed the other birds just the ducks!

Oh I looove the ducks! My dad will buy a big thing of popcorn and hold on to it all day, feeding a little bit to every duck he sees along the way. He never lets us eat any of it. One year at the Marketplace I made friends with a duck. He sat next to me on a brick wall for over an hour, even after all my food was gone. We have pics of me with him. I cried when I had to leave. I was only six, so I really thought I could take him home and keep him as a pet. The ducks in Fantasyland are my favorite.

 

[speck76]

That is great, because a duck's diet is not complete without buttery popcorn.

 

[zone15int]

HEY!! How come birds never find their way inside attractions, like the indoor scenes on Splash Mountain? Birds could easily fly into those areas!

Ugh!! They do!! The day after the second hurricane we had here, there were a couple of birds inside space mt. I believe they came in through the tta tunnel. They made it to the load area on the A side. I was the load one Cm and the other Cm, she was load two. Each time a bird would swoop a foot from our heads we would duck each time. This was when there were guests in the building. A few times I would try to scare the bird down to the unload area bypass hall. It kept on flying towards the track area.