Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's plea for dogs to be kept on leads

Birds such as skylarks make their nests on the ground

A wildlife trust is urging dog owners to keep their pets on leads in nature reserves to avoid disturbing ground-nesting birds.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said fragile ground nests can easily be trampled on unintentionally.

Birds such as skylarks and curlews make nests in long grass off the beaten path which may be disturbed by exploring dogs let off leads, the trust said.

The trust urged owners to keep dogs on short leads until September.

John Rattray, from the trust, said: "Dogs off leads can be a real issue for nesting birds on our nature reserves, especially at sites where most of the grassland habitat is narrow strips alongside paths - such as at our much loved Attenborough Nature Reserve.

"When dogs wander off the path into the grassland or reedbeds closer to the water's edge, they are unwittingly disturbing birds as they go."

The trust said the dangers of disturbing nests include scaring off adult birds, trampling eggs and vulnerable chicks can quickly perish if they are left alone for too long.

James Brittain-McVey, lead guitarist of The Vamps, and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts said: "Many of our team, myself included, have dogs, so we understand the pleasure that a walk with your furry friend can bring, but allowing dogs to run loose on nature reserves can be devastating for wildlife, particularly in spring when species are breeding and vulnerable.

"We're asking dog walkers to be sensitive by keeping their pets on a short lead, sticking to paths, and properly disposing of dog poo."