Helsinki feeds birds in Tokoinranta in winter

The City of Helsinki will continue to feed birds in Tokoinranta this winter, said the city in a press release on Monday.

The city has arranged feeding for birds wintering in Tokoinranta since the 1930s, when the first mallards stayed in Töölönlahti for the winter.

Nowadays Tokoinranta is one of the most important winter feeding places for birds in Helsinki.

The feeding begins only when the beaches in the area are frozen, as the purpose is not to attract birds to stay for the winter.

The feeding will continue until spring in cooperation jointly with the Urban Environment Division, the construction service Stara and the Helsinki Region Ornithological Society Tringa.

Volunteers take food to birds in Tokoinranta on a daily basis and keep the feeding area clean. The food given to birds is grain grown locally in the fields of Haltiala.

About 20,000 to 25,000 kilograms of grain are consumed each year, and up to 2,200 birds visit the feeding spot every day.

Usually the grain is spread on ice near the edge of the ice so that it is easier for birds in the water to eat it. This is also to ensure that the food attracts no rats.

City of Helsinki Environmental Services advised that birds should not be fed by throwing food directly on the ground.

Birds naturally shy away from people, and people should therefore consider carefully whether feeding them is necessary.

The city, private landowners and housing companies have the right to prohibit the feeding of birds on their territory.