Breeding season action
Recreate during the breeding season? Yes, but carefully!
Calfs in the field, hares rattle and nests are everywhere in the woods: the breeding season is in full swing in Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide. Reason enough for Natuurmonumenten, Staatsbosbeheer and Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide to jointly welcome visitors to the nursery of nature last Saturday.
Visitors to the Grenspark are on a 'maternity visit' during the breeding season. And the best maternity present you can give animals is peace and quiet. That is why it is now extra important for visitors to comply with the access rules of the Grenspark.
Dogs in particular can disturb the peace. Hidden in the bushes and among the high grass are fawn. Their mother regularly leaves them alone for a while. When a dog sniffs the calf, it leaves its scent behind. As a result, the doe often does not come back and the young animal ends up starving.
"By no means everyone was aware of the effect of a dog's 'sniffing'. Such conversations in the field give much more understanding of our joint measures to protect nature," says a dog owner. Dogs on a leash were given a dog biscuit as a reward.
Special mountain bike routes
For mountain bikers, the foresters carried protein bars, for which some even put their bikes aside for a moment. In addition to the information on the fragile nature, they also talked about how they use and experience the specially created mountain bike routes. Mountain bikers were informed about the vignette requirement on the 4 intensive loops (Stoppelbergen - Green, Wildernissen - Purple, Staartse Heide - Red, Volksabdij - Blue). Thanks to the contribution of MTB users, we can work with our volunteers to maintain the routes properly.
If cyclists, hikers and horse riders stay on the designated paths, the forest will have 'predictable' visitor flows. Animals can get used to visitors always going to fixed spots. They then know where the quiet spots are, where they can nest and eat safely. The stress starts when visitors start behaving unpredictably and go off the paths to go straight through heathland, woodland and grassland.
When is the breeding season?
There is no fixed period for the breeding season, as the start partly depends on weather conditions. A rough guideline is 15 March to 15 July. In general, this is when most animals reproduce. This also applies to most birds, although there are some early birds such as tawny owls and grey herons. And there are also birds that still breed in August.
With thanks to Ans Goorden for image and text