Guidance for dog walkers on Lincolnshire beaches and nature reserves

It comes in the breeding season and following a distressing incident in the autumn last year where onlookers witnessed two loose dogs chase and kill a Sanderling.

Kev Wilson, Coastal Officer with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust based at Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, said the outcome went beyond the loss of wildlife.

"This unfortunate incident was distressing for those who witnessed it and it was followed up by Natural England and the police,” said Kev.

“Clearly, visitors don’t generally come to reserves with the intention of letting their dog chase and kill, wildlife or livestock, but this unfortunate incident serves as a reminder that dogs have an inherent hunting instinct and restrictions on dogs are put in place for good reason and should be respected.

"We are aware that on this occasion, the owners involved were quite shocked to see the actions of their dogs and were most apologetic.

“It isn’t just nesting birds that are vulnerable, wetland and coastal sites in particular may host very large numbers of waterbirds, ducks and waders though the autumn, winter and into spring.”.

Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, managed by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, is one of the most important sites in Europe for such waterbirds while they are refueling on migration from their Arctic nesting grounds to wintering grounds in the tropics or spending the winter with us.

Wading birds such as Sanderling, Knot, Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit travel thousands of miles each year and rely on food rich and undisturbed feeding and roosting sites.

As the reserve is connected to the Wash, over 400,000 waders and wildfowl can be present on any one day in winter.

The area is also very important for Common Seals with pups born during the summer months and then grey seal pups may be encountered on the beach in the early part of the winter.

Such coastal wetland sites already receive international recognition and protection through for example the EC Birds Directive which recognise them as Special Protection Areas (SPA’s) – and recently the collection of sites on the English East Coast has been put forward for World Heritage Site Status.

It is incumbent on organisations such as LWT to manage such sites so that the habitats remain in good condition for the birds but also to ensure that important feeding and roosting areas are not disturbed by human activities – including dog-walking.

A small team of site -based Trust staff and volunteers are regularly out on the Reserve recording wildlife and engaging with visitors.

As a dog walker himself, Kev appreciates the need for dog-walking zones to be established, including beach areas of low-wildlife value and hopes that this situation can be formalised with local authorities along the coast.

He said: ‘’Dog ownership and dog walking in the countryside has increased significantly in the past few years and inevitably, the need for dog-walking has put more pressure on sensitive areas for wildlife.

“Sensible restrictions have to be put in place. At Gibraltar Point, bylaws are in place to stipulate that dogs showed be kept on a short lead at all times and not taken onto the beach and foreshore during April to September.

"Most responsible dog-walkers keep their dogs on the lead around the main Reserve where ground nesting birds such as Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings may only be metres of the path but many do not understand the importance and sensitivity of the beach areas.

“On the upper beach, Ringed Plovers may be nesting on the shingle, whilst on the intertidal stretches wading birds will be feeding on small worms and cockles in the mud and sand flats.

"When high tides cover the feeding grounds, the birds form large flocks and settle on the outer ridges to roost, when again, they can be very vulnerable to disturbance, especially in winter when they need to conserve energy.”

FACTFILE

• Due to their impact on wildlife, dogs are only allowed on some of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s larger reserves provided they are kept on a short lead, including Gibraltar Point (dogs not permitted on the beach from 1 April to 1 September), Snipe Dales Country Park (not Snipe Dales Nature Reserve) and Whisby Nature Park (dogs can be taken off the lead around Thorpe Lake). See website for further details: Dog walkers | Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (lincstrust.org.uk)
• More information about birds and wildlife at Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve can be found on the blog here: http://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.com/
• Dog restrictions are now in place on many beaches along the Lincolnshire coast in addition to those imposed on nature reserves.
• Dogs are banned from May 1 until September 30 each year, on specified areas of the beaches in Skegness, Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea.
• Dogs are banned from any enclosed and fenced designated children's play area containing play equipment within our district. Details on dog restrictions on beaches and paddling pools in East Lindsey are available here on ELDC website at e-lindsey.gov.uk.
• Paddling pools include:

  Fairy Dell Paddling Pool Skegness

  Queen's Park Paddling Pool, Mablethorpe

  York Road Pleasure Gardens Paddling Pool, Sutton On Sea

• Under the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) it is an offence not to remove dog faeces from the following areas:

  - Any public road

  - Any private road to which the public have access (unless the owner of the road declares that he or she does not wish the Order to cover it)

  - Any public footpath

  - Any private footpath to which the public have access (unless the owner of the footpath declares that he or she does not wish the Order to cover it)