Skip to main content

SHORELINE ADVENTURES

Lets take a walk on the wild side

The BARI team enjoy working with all types of people enjoying shoreline adventures.  We meet everyone from dog walkers to anglers and nature enthusiasts to fitness fans sharing how we can enjoy our adventures whilst keeping nature safe.  We find it an invigorating and a connecting place to be for so many reasons, but nature is a big part of why the shoreline feels special and connects us with our wilder selves.

TOP TIPS TO HELP BIRDS THRIVE

LOOK OUT FOR BIRDS ON THE SHORELINE

Take a minute before setting off  to notice the birdlife and landscape around you. Connecting to nature brightens your day.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE FROM A DISTANCE

Give birds plenty of space. By keeping your distance, you help reduce stress and allow birds to save their energy reserves.

TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE

If you see birds resting or feeding along the shoreline, choose a path that helps avoid disturbing them. They may be hungry and tired from long migrations.

AMAZING SHORELINE

The shoreline is also incredible for birdlife. As the tide goes out it reveals sand or mud flats which are full of nutrient rich foods like worms, crustaceans and marine insects. Throughout the year, especially in winter, you’ll see many birds wading and feeding along the shoreline as they try to restore the energy they lost over long migrations. As the tide comes back in many of these birds will find shelter on land to digest their food and rest, this is called roosting. Sometimes you’ll also see them in fields if they are still hungry, where they search out earth worms and insects.

Salt Marsh

Half land, half sea! Salt marsh are boggy marshy soils that salt tolerant grasses can grow on.  They form when silts settle in slow-flowing areas of the harbour.  Pioneer plants, so named because they are the first to arrive, establish themselves and trap even more sediment, creating a marshy area.
These wetland habitats are incredible for birds who use them to roost (rest) in safety away from terrestrial predators like foxes, dogs and humans.
Saltmarsh and mudflats play another vital role in the environment, that being their ability to rapidly sequester (absorb and store), carbon from the atmosphere.
A single hectare of mudflat absorbs up to 50 times more carbon than the equivalent area of tropical rainforest!

 

Mudflats & Sandflats

These areas where a slow flowing tide has carried sediments like silt or clay which has settled and created a fertile and rich ‘flat’.  These areas of mud or sand are revealed by the lowering of the tide. It is packed with with marine insects, crustaceans and worms which are all nutrient dense foods for wading birds.
In each layer of mud lives a different type of food source and the birds’ beaks vary in length and shape depending on what they eat and how far down in the mud they need to probe for their food.

WHAT IS DISTURBANCE
AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

What is disturbance?

  • Any human activity that influences a bird’s behaviour and ultimately its survival
  • Birds become aware of your presence and move away or become more alert
  • They flush (fly away suddenly) the ultimate disturbance!

Why does it matter?

  • As Poole Harbour becomes busier the birds become more alert more often and this burns up calories
  • Moving or flying away costs the birds vital energy that takes a long time to replace
  • Short daylight feeding hours in the winter mean the birds have limited time to feed, especially if low tide clashes with nightfall
  • Many species have long migration journeys so need to build up energy stores to survive the flight

How do I know when birds are being disturbed?

  • Birds will call louder to each other when they feel threatened, as an alert!
  • They will move away from you by walking or swimming to keep a safe distance.
  • They will fly away (flushing) using vital energy reserves that take a long time to replace.

Why do birds need your help?

  • Many species make long migrations to spend winter in Poole Harbour. Once here they need to feed and build up their strength.
  • Harbour birds eat when the tide is low, and the mud and sand is exposed as this is where their food is.
  • This means they have a very limited time to eat. If they are disturbed regularly, they can’t eat enough in one day.
  • As Poole Harbour becomes busier its harder for birds to feed and rest without being disturbed by people.

DORSET DOGS PARTNERSHIP

The companionship of dogs is wonderful for people’s health and well-being. It goes hand-in-hand with responsible dog ownership, bringing great benefits not just for individuals, but also for the value and care given to our coast, countryside, greenspaces and the wildlife that live there.