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Plea to dog owners over moorland birds

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date18 April 2024
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
The moors around Marsden provide the perfect breeding ground forsome of the nation's rarer birds such as golden plovers, curlews andmerlins

These birds and others build their nests on the ground ratherthan in trees, making them extremely vulnerable to damage.

Although their nests are cleverly camouflaged so as not to attract theattention of predators, this also means that people can be unaware ofthe impact they may have on these birds. Dog owners may think their animals are under close control, but dogs may run through a nest without their owner's knowledge.

Just the presence of dogs off-lead is enough to scare birds away and prevent them from nesting, or cause them stress that leads to them wasting vital energy by frequently flying out the way, failing to lay eggs or even abandoning their chicks.

It is a legal requirement to keep dogs on leads on open access land from March-July, regardless of the presence of livestock.

To protect the birds, the National Trust Rangers have been patrolling the moor, and engaging with members of the public. They can lend National Trust leads to those who have forgotten to bring one, or you can borrow one from the National Trust's offices in the Old Good's Yard, Marsden.

Dog owners can learn more about how to help protect local wildlife by attending one of the Trust's Doggy Ranger walks (treats included!) The next one is on Saturday 11 May.

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