Keeping Skylarks Safe at Riverside

Ahead of the Skylark breeding season commencing, visitors to Riverside Nature Park are being reminded to take care when navigating the area in order to keep ground-nesting birds safe.

Riverside Nature Park is home to the largest wildflower meadows in the city and is a popular spot for many walkers and dog owners.

In order to protect rare birds at the park, such as the skylarks, the Council and the Friends of Riverside Nature Park Group are again asking walkers to be careful at the Nature Park from April to August, and to keep on paths with dogs on leads.

The measures in place, and the public keeping to them, has helped the skylarks to achieve an impressive increase in the number of birds at Riverside, despite a general decline of the bird species across the UK.

Environment, Climate & Biodiversity Convener Cllr Heather Anderson said: “Since 2016, the skylarks at Riverside have had better chances of successfully raising their young which has seen the number of the rare and protected birds grow here.

"This is in no small part down to the measures put in place by the Council and the Friends of Riverside Nature Park Group, and members of the public following them, to keep the birds, their nests and habitats safe and intact.

"There is signage at the Nature Park clearly reminding visitors to the area of the measures in place across the April to August period in order to protect the ground-nesting birds.

"Small things like keeping dogs on their leads and sticking to the designated paths can help the skylarks and keep them on track to flourish further in Dundee despite the challenges they face as a species across the UK."

More information about Riverside Nature Park is available on this website.

Additional information about the skylarks, other wildlife and habitat works carried out at the site can be found on the Friends of Riverside Nature Park’s Facebook Page.