River Recovery Dogs

Adur River Recovery is excited to announce a new ‘paw-tastic’ campaign to encourage responsible dog walking along the River Adur, all in the name of wildlife conservation. We are looking for dogwalkers who are willing to become ambassadors, alongside their newfound ‘River Recovery Dogs’ to help us champion the protection of waterfowl and wading birds across the estuary and beyond.

Squid makes his modelling debut.

What Are We Protecting? 

The Adur estuary is a fantastic place to spot a variety of birds, particularly on a peaceful walk with your pooch. Here, the interaction between land and sea combines both mudflat and saltmarsh habitats. This landscape provides a fantastic abundance of food and resting opportunities, which are crucial for both our resident birds and migratory visitors. 

A little egret takes in the view.

In fact, the Adur is so important for birds that a portion of the estuary has been designated as a RSPB nature reserve, where the river flows out through Shoreham-by-sea. The area is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the importance of the mud flats to wading birds. Some of the fabulous avian species supported along the Adur include Oystercatchers, Little Egrets, Ringed Plovers, and Lapwings, which can be seen looking for worms and shellfish in the mud at low tide. As well as Grey Herons, Snipe, Linnets and Redshanks which use the saltmarsh as shelter when the tide is high.

The early 'black-headed gull' catches the worm!

The Pooch Problem

Doggy Deterrents

Dogs may be our best friends, but for birds, our perfect pooches could unknowingly act as deterrents. Wading birds like the Curlew, are particularly vulnerable to dogs. Curlews feed on a variety of mudflat-dwelling invertebrates, including worms, molluscs, crustaceans, and insects. Unfortunately, disturbance from dogs can cause these birds to frequently take flight, abandon feeding opportunities, and expend valuable energy which they need to feed and refuel - especially during migration. This can reduce the fitness and migratory success of the curlew. Continual disturbance can even decrease the perceived quality of the habitat. This can dissuade birds from feeding and lead to abandonment of high-quality food sources along the river.

A curlew in flight.  ©Joshua J. Cotten.

As a Red listed bird under the ‘UK birds of conservation concern’, dog disturbance is bad news for these charismatic birds.

Toxic Treatments

The ‘spot-on’ flea treatments many of us administer to our dogs contain powerful chemicals that act as ‘insecticides’ and ‘parasiticides’. These work to prevent fleas on our pets, but also pose a powerful risk to freshwater insects. Particularly affected are the larvae of species such as mayfly, dragonfly, and other invertebrates, which are important food sources for wading birds. This environmental risk arises when our pets swim or wade in the river, which can cause the treatment to wash off into the water. Just like the curlew, other wading birds such as oystercatchers and redshanks (also of ‘conservation concern’) rely on these affected species as an important food source. 

In fact, the active ingredient commonly found in pet flea treatments – imidacloprid - is often described as one of the most toxic chemicals found in UK waters, with one undiluted monthly flea treatment for a large dog containing enough pesticide to kill 25 million bees! (Little et al., 2020).

Making a splash ©Lia Maaskant.

Pesky Poo

Many of us will turn our nose up at the sight of dog waste on an otherwise pleasant walk, however abandoned dog poop doesn’t just get on our shoes – it can contaminate a whole ecosystem too! Dog poo contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous. These are macronutrients which have a strong effect on the chemical balance of an ecosystem. Specifically, excess nutrients can disrupt entire food chains through the stimulation of harmful algae blooms – also known as eutrophication.

A Teal ©Guy Edwardes/2020VISION

Waterfowl like teal, mallards, and widgeons are especially vulnerable to habitat degradation from excess nutrients and algal blooms. Meanwhile, disease and parasites residing in faeces poses a significant risk to wildlife too. 

Here’s the good news…

Whilst there are many threats facing waterfowl and wetland birds, simply keeping our furry friends on a lead, and scooping that poop can alleviate some of their most significant threats, without compromising an enjoyable walk for you and your pooch. 

One of the fabulous footpaths along the Adur estuary in Shoreham-by-sea.

Just following these three steps could make a world of difference for our wonderful wildlife: 

• Please keep your dog on a lead and keep to the footpaths, while walking along the river and estuary.  

• Please scoop that poop, and bin it – bagged and abandoned is just as bad! 

• Please avoid letting your dog enter the water, particularly if they are medicated or carrying flea treatment. 

Squid waits eagerly for a walk along the riverside footpath.

Get involved!

Just following these simple steps is enough to make a difference. However, if you and your dog fancy becoming role models for wildlife and avian protection along the Adur, then contact us at: adurrecovery@kneppwildlandfoundation.org to become a River Recovery Dog ambassador.

Maggie sports a dashing ‘River Recovery Dog’ lead cover.

We will be holding a doggy meet and greet for our ambassadors, amongst the beautiful backdrop of the Adur, followed by a briefing about the campaign. Your level of involvement is completely up to you - from getting your dog to sport a ‘River Recovery Dog’ lead cover, to spreading the word along the Adur footpaths - this new campaign is the perfect chance to champion the protection of our priceless waterfowl and wading birds!

References

Little, C. J. L. & Boxall, A. B. A. Environmental pollution from pet parasiticides. Veterinary Record 186, (2020).