This dog-walker had ignored not just the barbed wire fencing and quarry safety warnings, but also the signage informing the public about the presence of rare breeding birds. She never looked up from her phone as she trampled all over the place, oblivious to her dogs flushing birds left, right and centre. Ignorance, arrogance, stupidy? I suspect a combination of all three. I was so annoyed I had to leave. I've had numerous 'run-ins' with people in the past. They start with me trying to be polite but rarely end well. 'F*ck off is the standard retort. Bird-wise - 2 Teal, 10 Tufted Ducks and the drake Ring-necked Duck before the totally unnecessary intrusion.
The Ring-necked Duck was disturbed from its sleep by the dog-walker, and swam a bit closer than usual...
Nice RND photo, Matt. Every cloud, eh...?
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, I feel your pain. So many folk seem to be 100% out of tune with the countryside and its wildlife. Pretty depressing.
Hi 'Bridport Bird Club' (Gav??) - yes absolutely right - out of tune is how I'd describe it, and hard to comprehend. It's all the more frustrating as there are miles and miles of footpaths and bridle paths for the public to use. In fact the pebbled heaths are remarkably accessible. There's no way this person could have not seen the 'keep out' signs. Anyway, many thanks for getting in touch. Good to hear from you. Matt
DeleteOops, yes, that was me Matt.
DeleteThat's just horrendous. It's not like the signage is hidden or anything and theres a (insert swear word) barbed wire fence. Ots people like this that give decent dog owners a bad rep.
ReplyDeleteHi Spencer - good to hear from you. This person paid virtually no attention to her dogs. She never looked up from her phone, so had no awareness of where she was putting her feet or what wildlife she was disturbing. It's a shame that fines can't be issued. That would probably make people think twice. All the best. Matt
DeleteJust total ignorance and selfish behaviour. Utterly reprehensible.
ReplyDeleteHi John - yes absolutely. It feels like so many people have a total lack of awareness. I'm often up at Bystock where there are masses of signs asking dog owners to keep their pets on a lead. I very rarely see anyone with a dog actually on a lead up there! So frustrating. Good to hear from you, as always. Matt
DeleteFFS. What is wrong with people.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom - I don't know but it feels like countryside-aware people are very much in the minority. It's just ignorance I guess. Makes my blood boil. Hope you're keeping well. Good to hear from you. Matt
DeleteSend your pics and a note of the incident to habitatmitigation@eastdevon.gov.uk Be good if people can all do this with any Pebblebeds or Exe Estuary disturbance they notice.
ReplyDeleteHi Kev - will do. Many thanks. Matt
DeleteThank you for alerting us Matt. I went up yesterday and was relieved to see the beautiful ring neck duck was still there also a ring plover. I was all prepared to challenge any trespassers but fortunately I didn't have to ruin my morning.
ReplyDeleteHi Bay - lovely to hear from you. Will be keeping my eyes peeled. It's such a shame that things like that spoil our experiences outdoors. Glad the RND was still there, and it's a relief to hear that at least 1 Little Ringed Plover remains. All the best. Matt
DeleteTBH I rarely go to Bystock any more as I get so annoyed by the dog walkers and the Otter is just as bad, Seaton wetlands is great as they ban dogs but it's a bit far to go.
ReplyDeleteHi Kalamgish - agree it's getting to the point where you want to avoid seeing the disturbance and any subsequent confrontation. I tend to go out at times when there are fewer people around but, as I said in an earlier post, it's rare to actually see someone with a dog on a lead. Many thanks for getting in touch. All the best. Matt
ReplyDelete