Spring has finally sprung and the upcoming Easter break is expected to attract thousands of visitors to enjoy Yorkshire’s coast and countryside, with staycations increasing in popularity and tourism businesses across the county booking up fast.

But experts from the UK’s largest conservation charity are warning this time of year brings with it hazards for Yorkshire’s ground-nesting birds and are now appealing for the public’s help to protect them between March and September.

A new conservation campaign, launching today, ‘Give Birds Space’, is inviting visitors and the public to help give vulnerable species the very best chance of raising their chicks.

If Ringed Plovers, Little Terns or Oystercatchers, for example, nesting on sand and shingle along Yorkshire’s coastline are disturbed, they may abandon their nests, eggs and chicks.

And whether it’s Lapwings, Golden Plovers or Curlews nesting on the ground in the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales, or Skylarks at an RSPB nature reserve such as St Aidan’s near Leeds, Redshanks on the Humber saltmarshes or Avocets at RSPB Old Moor and the Dearne Valley RSPB nature reserves, if these birds are disturbed, they may completely abandon their nests as well as their chicks.

The RSPB’s three top tips for helping Yorkshire’s ground-nesting birds, whether in the countryside or along the coast are simple:
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 flightless chicks are on the ground.
Give birds and their nests plenty of space.

To help birds feel safe and avoid stress, the RSPB also advises giving nesting birds a wide berth – keeping at least 100m away from any roped-off areas and from any chicks that may be running around. Adult birds repeatedly flying unusually close to you and calling loudly generally means they have chicks nearby. The popularity of wild swimming and paddle boarding is also a risk factor for Yorkshire’s ground-nesting birds but paddlers and wild swimmers can help too.

Being on the water offers a fantastic chance to experience wildlife from a different perspective. But by keeping a steady, predictable course, and limiting viewing to just a few minutes, swimmers and paddlers can help too by ensuring birds and wildlife aren’t disrupted from feeding, breeding or caring for their young.

Over half of England’s most threatened breeding birds nest on or near to the ground, including for example, Curlew in the Yorkshire Dales, Little Tern on sand and shingle beaches, Nightjar in the North York Moors, and Lapwing on farmland pastures, including in the Vale of York. Many of these species are on the red list of conservation concern, as their population numbers are already struggling due to loss of roosting and breeding sites, lack of food and the impacts of climate change.

These species nest across a range of different landscapes such as scrub, grassland, woodland, moorland, heathland, and beaches. Even some of our more common birds, seen in both our gardens and the wider countryside, also build their nests low down. Birds such as Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and Blackbirds can all build their nests low in hedges, Ivy, and other shrubs.

Adult birds, the RSPB warns, will leave their nest if feeling threatened, until the perceived danger has gone. Even in this brief time of parents being away from the nest, eggs can quickly chill and chicks will be unprotected. This temporary abandonment, especially if it happens repeatedly with increased visitors to the countryside throughout the spring and summer, could prevent eggs from hatching and small chicks can die because of cold, starvation, or an animal predator seizing the opportunity to take them.

By following the RSPB’s simple three tips, the UK’s largest conservation charity says we can all play our part in keeping Yorkshire’s ground nesting birds safe this year so that they can successfully raise and fledge the next generation of offspring.

Skylark eggs, hidden in places like the Yorkshire Dales, can be as small as a 5p 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, like Curlew, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover, 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.”

Due to their effective camouflage, it can be difficult and sometimes almost impossible to see a parent bird and its nest. There are often no obvious signs that birds are nesting nearby or that an adult bird has moved away from their eggs or chicks. There are some behaviours that people can watch out for to help give a clue:

Parent birds in distress – alarm calling and potentially swooping low-down/dive-bombing or flying quickly back and forth across your path.

Birds with nesting material or food in their beaks - they may dive into a particular patch of scrub, grass or a shrub and not come out, again suggesting they may be visiting their nest.
Deception – birds such as Lapwings and Ringed Plovers may pretend to limp or have a broken wing, dragging it on the ground if they sense danger is near. This is an attempt to throw the perceived threat off the scent by distracting them away from their eggs and chicks.

Mike added: “We can all play our part in keeping Yorkshire’s 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 ground-nesting birds space this breeding season”.

Find out more at:

Protecting Ground Nesting Birds: What You Can Do to Help