Disturbance of birds by dogs

Well done John Davis for bringing the issue of disturbance of birds at Ynyslas by dog walkers to the fore. I am sure all of us who have been at the wader roost at high tide at Ynyslas have experienced anger when we have been watching a resting group of waders being flushed by an errant dog. This happened to me last year when it must have been obvious to this guy that I was watching these birds the dog just kept chasing the birds wherever they decided to alight. I was so incensed by his inaction to stop his animal that I approached him and told him that if it happened again I would book him (forgot for a moment that I wasn't in the job any more!). Not long after this event I was watching a group of resting whimbrel further along Ynyslas beach and another dog ran amok through this flock. Again the owner took no action to stop the animal. Come on Countryside Council for Wales this is not on. What use is it setting up a National Nature reserve if these birds are not afforded adequate protection on their long journeys. This would surely not be tolerated on an RSPB reserve. The wardens should be more pro-active in policing these kind of incidents and the least that can be done is to put up a few signs to inform, educate advise dog walkers that their actions cause stress to these resting birds and that such actions could indeed be deemed 'unlawful'. I went to Ynyslas this spring where I watched a small scattering of roosting waders. A women walked past me with her dog and I swear that she deliberately threw a stick in amongst the waders whereupon her dog did what you would expect it to do. I was absolutely fuming but kept my cool. OK how do we deal with this kind of situation. Well this is what I am going to do folks. I have just acquired a nice new cam-corder so the next time I witness such action then I will obtain the necessary evidence, establish the identity of the person 'in charge' of the offending dog, complain to the staff on duty at the centre, and report the matter to the police preferably the local wildlife officer (based in Aberystwyth) and offer to make a witness statement. Lets stand together on this fellow birders we have to raise the profile a bit more on this issue in the interest of these birds which we enjoy watching and which we surely have a collective responsibility to protect. If a couple of people were prosecuted for committing this kind of offence then the message would soon get around the local regular dog walkers. All it will take is a little bit more responsibility and care during the relevant periods ie- high tide roosts at those crucial locations. More comments please.