PET PROTECTION: Owners asked to keep dogs on leads during bird nesting season in Chorleywood

Dog walkers using Chorleywood Common are being encouraged to keep their dogs on leads, specifically from March to the end of July.

Chorleywood Parish Council (CPC), which operates the land, says the measure is being put in place to allow a group of skylarks recently found in the area to nest without being disturbed.

The policy will only apply to specific parts of the Common, which is a designated local nature reserve, and asks that leads be kept to two metres in length.

According to the Hertfordshire Bird Report, skylarks have recently declined in numbers. The flock on the Common is currently nesting in Larks Meadow and in the grassland adjacent to the parking at the War Memorial Hall.

A statement by CPC reads: “This is a sensible, effective and common policy to protect wildlife adopted on most nature reserves.

“The fact of dogs being off lead sniffing out nests and inadvertently flushing out birds in the long grass and scrub areas is what causes the birds to abandon their breeding behaviours.”

Photo Credit: Chorleywood Parish Council