Lancashire Country Council issues warning to dog walkers over endangered birds

Lancashire County Council has issued a warning to dog walkers using Fleetwood Beach as endangered Ringed Plover birds are believed to be nesting on the beach.

The council has erected signs advising visitors to keep dogs on a lead and be careful where they step as the birds can nest under pebbles.

A spokesperson for Wyre Council told the Lancashire Telegraph: “The Ringed Plovers can be incredibly difficult to spot, even to the trained eye. Once hatched, the birds roam the beach and don’t always stick to the original nest area. In fact, the adult birds hide the broken eggs so that predators can’t find the site of the nest. This means they are not necessarily confined to one location.

“Because of this, we erected signs a number of weeks ago in the area when our rangers spotted them on the beach to advise visitors to be careful not to step on the eggs and to keep a look out for the young.”

Ringed Plovers are characterised by their orange bills with a black tip, and orange legs. They are sandy-brown above and white below and has a black chest-band and black bridle markings on its head.