Hi
I regularly go birding at Nudgee (Brisbane suburb) where there are large mud
flats that generally have flocks of waders.
Over the years there is more and more disturbance, and dogs have got a lot
of the blame (especially as the off leash dog park is only a short walk from
one of the roosts).
My own experience is that on any summer sunday there will be up to 50 groups
of people walking across the mudflats, and maybe 20 of them will have dogs.
By observation I have noticed that most dogs stay close to their owners, and
just run in rings.
The groups of walkers include anglers, people gathering bait and people just
generally ambling - they are completely oblivious to the birds (and the no
dog signs).
One person I spoke to who had put up a flock of 50+ sharpies said he didn't
even see them. From my observation the problem really is more human than
dog
Alex Ferguson
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