News
Undisturbed feeding areas critical for estuarine wild birds during freezing weather
13th January 2010
Disturbance can make the situation even worse: “We would appeal to people to avoid disturbing flocks of birds on water and estuaries. This means not going too close and always keeping dogs on a lead. If birds are disturbed valuable feeding time is lost and the energy expended when they alight to avoid a perceived threat, is wasted. This can affect their chances of survival,” say Suffolk Wildlife Trust. “Birds may appear tamer than usual as they prioritise feeding over avoiding predators – this again makes them more vulnerable.”
All Suffolk’s estuaries – the Alde, Deben, Stour, Orwell and Blyth are of national and international protection as they are so important for wildfowl and wading birds. At the moment the severe conditions further north and on the continent mean that Suffolk’s estuaries are attracting extra populations of birds putting the available food supplies under even more pressure.
As England and Wales have now entered the eighth day of frozen conditions shooting clubs should be contacting members to advise them to exercise voluntary restraint regarding wildfowl shooting. Statutory suspension will be implemented by the government after 14 days of severe weather.
The ‘I’m a Good Dog!’ walk held at Orwell Country Park at the weekend launched a new campaign to promote responsible dog ownership in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The free guided walk was the first outcome of a new campaign to highlight the need for more responsible dog ownership in this nationally protected landscape. It follows local research that showed that uncontrolled dogs are a major cause of bird disturbance on the Stour and Orwell estuaries and that dog owners were unaware of their responsibilities under Open Access regulations on Sandlings heaths.
For more information call Dorothy Casey at Suffolk Wildlife Trust on 01473 890089 or Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit on 01394 384948
