Dunlin are among Britain's most abundant coastal waders, but their welfare depends on maintaining intertidal feeding areas and minimising disturbance at high-tide roosts.
Dunlin roosting at high tide are energy-conserving during the period they cannot feed. Disturbance from dogs and recreational users forces repeated flight responses that deplete energy reserves needed for migration and survival. Repeated disturbance over a wintering season can affect survival probability for individual birds. Responsible behaviour at estuaries - keeping dogs on leads, avoiding roost areas and staying on marked paths - directly benefits individual dunlin welfare and the enormous concentrations they form at key sites.