Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 2000, you must keep your dog on a lead no more than 2 metres long on open access land between 1 March and 31 July – to protect ground-nesting birds.
And also in livestock areas.
On Public Rights of Way (footpaths, bridleways etc indicated on an Ordnance Survey map) dogs must be under close effective control not necessarily on a lead, unless required by local signs or near livestock.
It’s literally the law.
Day one of ground nesting bird season this year and as of about 4pm today the ranger team at @eastern_moors_partnership have heard over a dozen different reasons for why particular dog owners are certain the law doesn’t apply to them and or their dog(s). Including someone who referred to the birds as ‘migrants’ and therefore they had ‘second priority’ behind him and his dog. Racism in nature. Nice.
In the same way as traffic speed limit laws apply even where there are no speed cameras, the ground nesting bird law still applies even if you can’t see a ranger 😉.
For the folks trying to protect habitats for wildlife, ground nesting bird season is the most difficult of the year. We will be lied to, sworn at and threatened over the coming months. I’ve already had the ‘don’t talk to me’ open palm to the face, today.
To all the lovely dogs and their owners that were doing the right thing for nature – thank you. Especially the little Romanian rescue dog on Big Moor that remembered me and my biscuit stash from when we met a few weeks ago. Fusses were had. 🐾.