Dog owners visiting the Yorkshire Dales National Park are being asked to help make life easier for ground-nesting birds and their young by keeping their pets on leads.

More than 60 per cent of land in the National Park is accessible to the public and much of it is the habitat of ground-nesting birds like the Skylark, the Red Grouse, the Curlew, the Lapwing and the Oystercatcher.

Alan Hulme, the YDNPA’s Ranger Services Manager, said: “The next few months are vitally important for the ground-nesting birds that live in the National Park and we are asking people to remember that dogs don’t mix with them.

“A dog may mean no harm to birds but, as far as they are concerned, your pet is a predator that could threaten them and their young. While parent birds are taking evasive action to lure the dog away from the nest, the eggs could get cold or be taken by scavengers like crows and newly-hatched birds could die of exposure.”

Alan said that all visitors had a responsibility to protect the countryside, to respect wildlife and farm animals and to follow the Countryside Code, which asks people to:

• Be safe – plan ahead and follow any signs
• Leave gates and property as you find them
• Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home
• Keep dogs under close control
• Consider other people

The YDNPA has produced a leaflet – The Big Five – which gives information about the main types of ground-nesting birds found in the National Park. It also lists ways that visitors can help minimise disturbance by:

• Keeping to tracks and paths as much as possible
• Avoiding birds on the ground
• Keeping dogs on a short lead
• Planning ahead to find out where you can go by checking for local restrictions
• Spreading the word by telling others how they can help.

Copies can be found in National Park Centres along with another Authority publication entitled Open Access in the Yorkshire Dales, which gives information about the rights and responsibilities of visitors under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.