VISITORS to Barnsley’s nature reserves and countryside have been urged to tread carefully by wildlife conservationists as bird-nesting season gets into full swing.
The RSPB issued a plea ahead of the Easter weekend, which is expected to attract scores of people to its sites such as Old Moor and Wombwell Ings where ground-nesting avocets flourish.
However, if disturbed, the breed is known to ditch nesting sites altogether, sparking fears that work to encourage them will be undone due to human disruption.
The RSPB’s three top tips for helping ground-nesting birds, whether in the countryside or along the coast are to keep to marked paths and keep away from any roped-off areas, keep dogs under close control between March and August whilst parent birds are sitting on eggs, and give birds and their nests plenty of space.
Mike Shurmer, head of species for RSPB England, said: “Eggs can be as small as a five-pence coin.
“When they hatch, the chicks stay perfectly camouflaged and motionless in the nest so well hidden that people can pass by without realising they’re there, risking accidentally disturbing them.
“Other ground-nesting birds have chicks that leave the nest within days of hatching, still tiny and vulnerable, moving through grassland and beaches where people and dogs are present.
“This means that it’s all too easy to disturb them, or accidentally destroy nests and chicks, without even realising a simple step off a path or a dog running free can have devastating consequences.
“We can all play our part in keeping ground-nesting birds safe this spring and summer so that they can successfully raise and fledge the next generation of offspring, every Yorkshire chick really does count and we’re grateful to everyone who helps give our birds space this breeding season.”
Carlton Marsh, which spans 25 hectares, is home to more than 100 species of bird and is a site of specific scientific interest (SSSI), according to Natural England.
It was bought by Barnsley Council in 1976 after previously being part of the Hull to Barnsley rail network.
It benefitted from major habitat improvements in 2015 and it is now incredible to think that Cudworth Dike, a small River Dearne tributary which feeds the marsh, once had the unfortunate infamy of being classified as one of the most polluted water bodies in South Yorkshire.
A major scheme involving the council and the combined Dearne Valley Green Heart Partnership successfully restored ecology and hydrology.
A spokesman from the site told the Chronicle: “It’s important that we urge caution in March and April due to the amount of birds that do nest in the spring.
“That goes for both Carlton Marsh and RSPB sites across the borough, especially where there’s an influx of ground-nesting species.
“We know that if they’re disturbed, they’ll abandon both their nests and be spooked from returning to the site the following year so it’s key that people are mindful.”
