Spring Time Vigilance: Ground Nesting Birds
Nest Disturbance.
It’s still cold but the days are getting longer, and birds are starting to pair up and establish territories. The nesting season will begin over the coming weeks. For ground nesting birds like Hen Harrier, for our waders, for Red Grouse and Meadow Pipits this is a period fraught with risk and danger. They are vulnerable to predators and to extreme weather but on top of these natural risks they face danger from human activity, from wildfires set by humans, from disturbance by machinery, from free ranging dogs, from people approaching their nests.
Don’t light fires.
Don’t bring a dog to the hills, even on a leash.
Stay on established tracks, don’t walk through tall heather or scrub.
Don’t approach nests, if you see a ground nesting birds give them a wide berth
