News

SPRING IS IN THE AIR ON THE MOORS BIRDS RETURN FOR THE BREEDING SEASON

27th March 2000

The Moorland Association, responsible for 700,000 acres of heather moorland in England and Wales, released some seasonal advice today for visitors to the uplands. From early March, farmers, keepers and moorland owners have witnessed a wide variety of upland nesting birds returning to the heather moorland to raise their young. In a time of decline in a number of Britain’s birds, the Association appeals for special care and consideration from visitors to moorland areas during the Spring and early Summer months.

Said Sir Anthony Milbank, Chairman of The Moorland Association: “Moorland managers welcome walkers and other visitors to heather moorland throughout the year. We very much hope that they will be responsible in the coming months and are careful to keep to marked footpaths and have their dogs on leads at all times to minimise disturbance to the ground nesting birdlife. April is also lambing time and farmers’ ewes are easily upset by humans and dogs. The wonderful views and most birds can be seen from the extensive footpath networks across moorland areas and there is less risk of getting into difficulty, in some of the country’s most remote locations, if visitors stick to them.”

There are several species of wading bird that spend the winter in coastal and low-lying farm land and then return to Britain’s moorland to nest in the Spring. Britain’s managed moors have become an increasingly important breeding ground for birds such as the curlew, lapwing, redshank, golden plover, snipe and dunlin. As lowland arable farms have changed through intensified agricultural practice, so have they lost their appeal as breeding sites. In addition the red grouse, hen harrier, merlin, black grouse, and ring ouzel are birds which rely solely on keepered moorland to breed. The role of keepers in controlling predators such as crows, foxes, stoats and weasels is a vital element of moorland management to enable upland ground nesting waders to raise their young successfully.
Says Dr Peter Welsh, English Nature’s Senior Officer for North East Yorkshire: “On the moors of the Yorkshire Dales and The North York Moors, we are very fortunate to have healthy populations of birds like the merlin and golden plover, which rely on the heather moorland habitat that is managed for red grouse. Careful burning, keepering and grazing management are very important in maintaining this environment.”

Said Andy Bunten, Regional Manager of the RSPB for Northumberland: “Upland areas are internationally important for their bird populations supporting good numbers of waders as well as the more specialist black and red grouse, ring ouzel, merlin and the rare hen harrier. Moorland management has certainly helped some of these species, notably lapwing and curlew, which have plummeted in numbers in intensively managed lowland farm areas. Visitors to these marvellous parts of the country can help by ensuring they don’t disturb nesting birds or farming livestock, and by learning more about moorland management work”