Welcome to the spring edition
It's been a long, dark winter but spring is just around the corner and I'm sure you're all noticing the longer daylight hours and the increasing signs of spring. Being out in nature is officially good for us, and who better to spend it with than our dogs. With working practices changed many people have seized the exciting opportunity to become first time dog owners. As well as information on where to walk, we also have a business directory on our website with lots of local dog specialists including trainers, walkers, groomers and much more. Feel free to share this newsletter with your dog loving friends.
 Photo of a Nightjar chick by Joshua Marshall
Ground nesting bird season 1st March - 31st July
Newsflash... Not all birds live in trees!
We tend to think of birds building nests high up in tree branches, safe from everything that goes on at ground level, but this isn’t always the case. There are several species of birds that live in heathland areas such as Woodbury Common who nest and breed either right on the ground or very low down. So, when we’re out walking with our dogs we could be surprisingly close to a nest of young Dartford Warblers or Nightjars. The Nightjar chick in the photo has a big mouth, so that when fully grown, it can catch moths and other large insects at night.
These birds and their eggs are well camouflaged, so to help them thrive we can make a really big difference by keeping our dogs on the paths and out of the gorse. If you can do this without needing a lead, then great. It helps to interact with your dog, play games and talk to them whilst you’re walking, and if you’re planning a game of fetch, throw the ball along the path, not into the gorse. We’re lucky to have such an extensive network of wide paths all across the heaths, so this shouldn’t be too difficult, but if your dog can't resist bounding through the gorse please keep them on a lead to protect the birds at this time of year. Thank you.
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