Dog walkers warned over threat to birds

Over the next few months, birds are starting to incubate eggs and raise their young and can be disturbed by free roaming dogs.

As part of its plans to educate dog walkers about birds in the area, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) has produced a free, pocket-sized leaflet showing the main five species, along with descriptions of their appearances, their calls and their favourite habitats.

Alan Hulme, the YDNPA’s ranger services manager, said due to the opening up of vast swathes of the national park under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in 2005, it is more important than ever to educate dog walkers about the dangers they can cause.

“This has meant that parts of the national park that were previously no-go areas for visitors – including some used by ground nesting birds – are now seeing more humans,” he said.

“We are trying to highlight the fact that these breeding areas are now vulnerable to disruption by passing walkers and their dogs.

“Disturbance can mean that adult birds flee the nest, leaving eggs to get cold or, later, leaving newly born hatchlings exposed to the elements and to predators.”