Haldon Forest Park and the wider Haldon Forest area are home to around 1% of the UK’s breeding population of the European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus). Up to 50 pairs arrive from Africa each summer, flying an eye-watering 3,500 miles to reach their preferred habitats: heathland, young conifer plantation, and recently clearfelled forest. Forestry England ensures that all of these habitats are available across Haldon Forest, helping nightjar numbers to recover after they tumbled dramatically during the 20th century when heathland habitat was lost from across England.
But even in its favourite habitats, the nightjar is at risk from predators, such as foxes, stoats, and hedgehogs, and to harm from people and dogs. Forestry England is asking forest visitors to do their bit for rare nightjars this summer by keeping themselves and their dogs on official paths.
Ecologist, Aaron Boughtflower, explained: “Like many ground-nesting birds, nightjar have incredible camouflage that helps to hide them from predators. But that makes them vulnerable to human disturbance because we can’t see where they are as we pass through their habitat. While it’s tempting to stray off official trails or let dogs run through heather and scrub in search of smells, this can disrupt breeding behaviour and put bird populations at risk.
“It doesn’t take a direct attack to harm a nesting bird, even close proximity of a dog can be enough to frighten a bird away from its offspring. Breeding adults need all their energy to hatch and raise their chicks. Fleeing the nest uses up their precious energy reserves and stresses the birds. Without their mother, young chicks are exposed to predators and temperamental weather conditions.
“The good news is that we can all do our bit to help ground-nesting birds simply by keeping to official paths and trails when we’re out in the forest or countryside. Keep dogs in sight and close by, and use a lead if their recall isn’t reliable. It’s super simple, and it can make all the difference to our valuable wildlife.”
Read more about nightjar on the Forestry England website at https://forestryuk.link/AboutNightjar
Most of Haldon Forest Park and Haldon Forest itself are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for lowland heath habitat, raptors including nightjar, and butterflies. Restoring Haldon’s lowland heath and providing other areas of nightjar habitat are integral to Forestry England’s management of Haldon Forest. The full management plan for the forest and SSSI is available at https://forestryuk.link/HaldonForestPlan
Watch the new video to learn about the mysterious and beautiful nightjar https://forestryuk.link/MeetNightjar
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