Dog owners urged to keep dogs on leads after sheep attacks

Dog owners in the Harrogate district are being urged to keep their pets on leads by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust following two attacks on sheep at nature reserves last week.

The trust looks after more than 100 nature reserves across Yorkshire, including sites in Burton Leonard, Staveley, Bishop Monkton, Ripon and Upper Dunsforth, near Boroughbridge.

At a reserve in Huddersfield, an attack from a dog left one of the trust’s Hebridean grazing sheep with deep bite wounds.

Meanwhile, at Kilnsea Wetlands in East Yorkshire, pregnant ewes were chased by dogs, angering the local grazier.

As well as posing risks to livestock, dogs have also been trampling rare plants and bird nests.

The majority of ground-nesting birds are in decline in the UK, including curlews, woodcocks and skylarks. If dogs scare birds away from their nests, they leave chicks at risk.

A Skylark, one of the vulnerable ground-nesting birds.

Increasing instances of dogs disturbing wildlife has led the charity to issue the plea for owners to keep dogs on leads.

Rachael Bice, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s chief executive said:;

“Dog walking is one of the best reasons to get outdoors, feel great and enjoy our beautiful countryside – and we thank every responsible dog owner who keeps their dog on a lead and encourages others to do the same.

“Wildlife is suffering huge declines and dogs in wild places can cause problems, especially when many species are breeding and resting close to the ground.”

Jenna Kiddie, head of canine behaviour at the charity Dogs Trust, added:

“Dogs [should be] kept on a short lead, and close to their owners, whenever livestock are nearby, within seeing, hearing or smelling distance or whenever their presence is likely to be expected.

“It is important to remember that chasing is normal dog behaviour, and that any dog is capable of chasing, irrelevant of breed, type, age or size.”

You can find more info about being a nature-friendly pet owner here.

Read More: 

 

Photographer captures spectacular starling murmuration at Ripon wetlands

A photographer has captured stunning images of a starling murmuration at Ripon wetlands.

Andy O’Brien shot the pictures last week at the site, which is part of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

He said the spectacle had become a regular occurrence and that local bird watchers estimated that some 150,000 starlings can be seen at the wetlands.

Mr O’Brien, who shared the pictures with the Stray Ferret, said:

“It’s virtually an evening occurrence at the moment and incredibly spectacular not just visually but the noise of the birds turning sounds like waves crashing against rocks.”

You can watch the murmuration at Ripon below.

The images come as today marks World Wetlands Day, an initiative aimed at raising global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet.

Rachael Bice, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said it was important to celebrate and protect wetlands, such as the one in Ripon.

She said:

“Today is the day for celebrating our beautiful and wilder wetlands in all of their bountiful variety. A home for wildlife from the common frog right through to the rare bittern and water vole, wetlands are abundant in wildlife.

“Lush pools, lakes and ponds, fringed by golden reeds, meadow or woodland are vital in helping us adapt better to a changing climate, and provide a peaceful place for restoration and relaxation.”

Read more:

 

Three newt ponds to be built at Long Lands Common

Work will begin in January to build three ponds for Great Crested Newts at Long Lands Common in Harrogate.

The team behind the community-funded nature reserve and woodland between Bogs Lane and Bilton Lane hopes the ponds will become a flagship for biodiversity in the area.

The ponds will be built in places that already have seasonal flooding and semi-wetland communities.

Surveys have found the common toad, common frog, smooth newt and Great Crested Newts all within 2km of the site. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will carry out the works.

The animals will use the ponds to breed between March and June and will use the habitat that Long Lands Common will provide for the rest of the year.

Read more:

The Long Lands Common December newsletter says:

“Given the situation of the site close to an existing pond, and with the landscape corridors provided by the railway cutting and Bilton beck, once habitats on-site start to become more natural, it is very likely that this baseline will increase in both diversity and absolute numbers as well as the additional benefits for species diversity and human enjoyment of the site that the presence of the ponds will bring.”

In 2020, around 3,000 people bought shares in the land. The appeal raised £375,000 to purchase 30 acres of land near the Nidderdale Greenway and protect it from development.

An official open day was held on the land for people who pledged money in July.

A detailed plan for the site is set to be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council in February. Thousands of trees will eventually be planted there.

Wildlife trust calls for people to join Great Yorkshire Creature Count

Tomorrow the Great Yorkshire Creature Count is beginning across the county and there is still time to sign up and take part.

The event runs from midday Saturday to midday Sunday June 20. People can join in for as long as they like, whether for just a few minutes or a whole afternoon.

Any wildlife they see over the 24 hours, whether that’s a sparrow perched on a windowsill, a slug among the vegetables or a moth attracted by a streetlight, can be counted towards the total.

A boy using a magnifying glass to look for bugs

A boy using a magnifying glass to look for bugs (Photo: Adrian Clarke)

There are three ways to join in: by downloading the iNaturalist app, uploading any sightings to the website or downloading a checklist with 20 popular species to spot, which has extra space to make notes or draw pictures of any other creatures.

The checklist is a new feature for 2021 and is aimed at younger children or people who prefer a more traditional way of recording data.

Bilton resident Angela, who has taken part in previous years, has already downloaded the iNaturalist app. She said:

“The app is fairly easy to use: you basically take a photograph of a creature and it comes back with suggestions and gives feedback.”

People can submit their results online or download the iNaturalist app to log sightings.

Read more:

Last year 4,500 people took part and 13,638 observations were made of 1,471 species. The most-sighted creature was a blackbird, followed by a woodpigeon and a house sparrow.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said:

“Our gardens make up more of the UK’s green space than all the nature reserves combined. And the past year has shown us how much we need nature in our lives.

“But nature needs our help. The 2019 State of Nature Report (a health check of the UK’s wildlife) reports the devastating effects of human impact on our wildlife. Of the 8,418 species assessed, 15% are now at risk of extinction.”