Senior councillor's plea to beach dog-walkers: Spare a thought for welfare of our precious shorebirds!

A squawk of terror, then the end - beach-running dogs finish off a stricken herring gull on Cleethorpes beach

A SENIOR member of North East Lincolnshire Council has pleaded with dog-owners not to let  their pets chase birds feeding on Cleethorpes Beach.

In winter, the East Coast resort is home to many waders and gulls that arrive in late summer and autumn having bred in Scandinavia or further north.

However,  their welfare is perpetually imperilled by canine disturbance.

Says the authority's environment portfolio holder, Cllr Stewart Swinburn: "Wintering birds need our help to make their stay here as restful as possible.

"Anything that disturbs the birds, such as a dog running loose or a speeding jet ski, causes them to take flight and waste valuable energy reserves.

"This means they might not make it back to the Arctic in the spring and puts their populations, which are already declining, at even greater risk."

                                              

Cllr Swinburn - birds need our help

The alert came on the same day that the council issued a press release highlighting the importance both of the beach (for traditional bucket-and-spade tourism) and, in particular, of the saltmarsh.

It states: "Like the Amazon rainforest, Cleethorpes saltmarsh is a spectacular landscape that supports a rich variety of plants, birds and other creatures.

"It also captures and stores polluting carbon dioxide - more so than an area of rainforest the same size."

NELC has also published a fascinating "immersive story-map": 

 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b83954a7cc8d4a118831058e38cdd2e1- external site 

"It is vital that we look after the beach, the saltmarsh and our wildlife," adds Cllr Swinburn.