With the nesting season fast approaching we want to highlight two reasons why it is important that dog walkers show respect for this nature reserve by keeping their dogs on a lead (…quite apart from the detrimental effect that loose dogs can have on other visitors, especially small and previously traumatised children and mobility-impaired adults).
Firstly certain birds nest on the ground or at low levels and many others forage at ground level. These are very susceptible to disturbance – e.g. by humans or dogs – which can result in nest abandonment and clutch failure. (This is the reason why the Notts Wildlife Trust states that, on their reserves, dogs must be kept on a lead no longer than 2 metres between March 1st and July 31st every year.) There is some clear and helpful advice for dog walkers on the Trust’s web site here.
The second reason relates to recent research by the University of Sussex.
An analysis of the material in 103 blue and great tit nests showed contamination by insecticides used to treat flea infestation in cats and dogs. Higher insecticide levels were linked to increased offspring mortality. (Additional information in Chemistry World: Flea treatment-tainted pet fur lining songbird nests may be killing chicks.) If, as we recommend, dogs were restricted to the areas with the higher footfall, i.e. the official footpaths, then one hopes that the risk of fur transfer to nests would be reduced.
The full paper is published here
For all these reasons please keep dogs on a lead, especially from March to July inclusive! Our nest box survey showed that a lot of chicks failed to fledge last year – every little counts!
