An Auckland woman has been ordered to cough up more than $7000 after her love of feeding birds in her apartment courtyard created a major mess – and a major headache – for her neighbours.

Jill Veronica Watt, who lives on Khyber Pass Rd, admitted she had a soft spot for the birds and often fed them in her courtyard. But what she saw as a kind gesture turned into an unsightly, unhygienic problem for the entire apartment block.

Neighbours began noticing a growing flock gathering around Watt’s unit between June and August, leaving behind plenty of evidence — in the form of droppings — across pergolas, balcony railings, and even nearby units. Photos submitted to the Tenancy Tribunal showed just how bad the situation had become.

One neighbour shared how the droppings made it nearly impossible to enjoy his balcony and even hurt his chances of renting out his unit. A property manager had told him the apartment couldn’t be rented out with access to the droppings-covered balcony — meaning lost rental income. Other residents also raised concerns about the health risks and the growing mess.

In response to the complaints, the building’s body corporate stepped in and arranged a major clean-up last April. While that helped temporarily, neighbours said the problem soon returned as Watt continued feeding the birds.

Watt told the tribunal she wasn’t fully aware of the repeated notices from the body corporate, saying she struggles with email communication and only remembers receiving one formal notice around September. After that, she claimed she tried to compromise by feeding the birds outside on the berm (the strip of land by the road), believing it was within the rules. But worried about the birds’ wellbeing, she eventually resumed feeding them at home.

Ultimately, the Tenancy Tribunal found that Watt had breached apartment rules by encouraging bird activity that led to property damage and created an unsanitary environment. She was ordered to pay $7031 immediately — including $5900 in legal costs, $575 for the tribunal hearing itself, and a $500 filing fee.

Watt’s case echoes a bigger issue highlighted by Peter McCarthy, an Australian property manager, who noted that in shared living environments, bird feeding can cause serious damage to roofs and common areas. Even in New Zealand prisons, he said, inmates sometimes feed birds out of loneliness or boredom — much like the character Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption, who famously cared for a pet crow behind bars.