Dog walkers urged to protect heathland bird nests

Dog owners are being asked to ensure their pets are kept on leads around sensitive habitats in order to keep nests safe during bird breeding seasons.

Walkers in the Thames Basin Heaths area of Surrey, near Chobham and Bagshot, are being advised to take extra care between March and September in order not to disturb wildlife when dogs go exploring off-lead.

The advice comes after a study using artificial nests hidden in the undergrowth showed dogs coming perilously close to potential habitats.

Dr Rebecca Thomas, of Royal Holloway, University of London, said: "Dogs can cause a huge amount of disturbance to wildlife, especially species that nest on the ground."

Thomas added: "Ground-nesting birds perceive dogs to be predators, so as a dog approaches them they will fly away from their nest.

"There are hundreds of dogs that come though these environments almost daily, and if they are off-lead and bounding around in the habitat they're going to be causing a huge amount of disturbance."

Wildlife wardens in protected heathlands such as Thames Basin and Horsell Common, near Woking, have put up signs advising dog walkers to keep their animals on leads in certain areas due to the damage they can cause.

Dog walkers in the area say they appreciate the need to keep dogs on paths, but say they often "can't see where they [birds] are nesting".

Rupert Millican, senior ranger at Horsell Common, told BBC Radio Surrey areas of the common had been set up to allow dogs to be safely walked off-lead, in order to take footfall away from nesting areas.

He said: "It's really important that you have effective control over your dog and know your own dog so that it doesn't run out on to the main heath."

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