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Leash your dogs in Oak Bay’s Uplands Park

Bird nesting season means leashed dogs April 1 to June 30 each year
11292763_web1_killdeerWylie
A killdeer makes itself look big and scary to chase away a predator, protecting the four eggs behind it. The birds are one reason this month is on-leash only for dogs at Uplands Park. (Wylie Thomas photo)

Bird nesting season means leashed dogs in Uplands Park.

Dogs must be on leash April 1 to June 30 each year in the Oak Bay natural space, primarily to protect feathered wildlife.

For example, nesting killdeer lay eggs in the rocks on the ground and are easily scared away by dogs. If the eggs are moved, the birds do not seem to return to them either. Friends of Uplands Park says two families were successful raising young last year there.

Uplands is host to many ground-nesting birds, including spotted towhee, chipping sparrow, orange-crowned warbler, dark-eyed junco and song sparrow. There are also many low-nesters, such as Anna’s hummingbird, bushtit, chestnut-backed chickadee and Bewick’s wren.


 
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com

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