Skylarks at Riverside

Visitors to Riverside Nature Park are being reminded to take care when navigating the area in order to keep ground-nesting birds safe, ahead of the start of the skylark breeding season.

Riverside Nature Park, which was created on an area of landfill by the River Tay, is now home to the largest wildflower meadows in the city and is a popular spot for walkers and dog owners.

In order to protect the ground-nesting birds, such as 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, have 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.

Skylarks are currently on a national red list, which is compiled by a number of conservation organisations and contains the species most at-risk in the UK.

Neighbourhood Services Convener 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 abiding by them, to keep the birds, their nests and habitats safe and intact.

“There are signs at the Nature Park to remind and make clear where these measures should be followed across the April to August period.

“Small things like keeping our dogs on their leads and sticking to the designated paths can have a very positive impact on the skylarks and their continued success – despite the challenges they face as a species across the UK.”

More information about Riverside Nature Park is available on the Dundee City Council 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.

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