Morecambe Bay covers a vast area; the Lake District and Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty tumble down into its mudflats.
Mud might not sound particularly appetising to us, but it draws in quarter of a million birds a year. Morecambe Bay is one of the most important places for birds in Europe and is designated a Special Protection Area.
At high tide, wading birds need to rest and conserve energy. Winter is a critical time for these birds. They need to put on enough weight to survive the winter and migrate back to their breeding grounds in spring. Disturbing birds does more than simply causing them to fly; it uses up energy reserves, decreasing chances of survival.
Unfortunately, the birds are often unintentionally disturbed by human activity. You can really help these birds in a few simple ways to avoid this:
- – Keep a respectful distance away from flocks of birds
- – Keep dogs on leads at high tide to avoid the birds becoming spooked
- – Don?t fly model aircraft or kites over the saltmarsh around high tide
- – Use of personal or commercial drones on or over RSPB-owned property is not permitted unless specifically granted by the site manager.