We have over 90 nature reserves across Lincolnshire and each reserve has its own assemblage of wildlife. We work incredibly hard to ensure our reserves are safe spaces for wildlife and we want to keep it that way. Therefore, we do not permit the use of public drones on our reserves at any time. 

However, we recognise that drones can be an incredibly valuable tool when used within nature reserve conservation, such as for habitat mapping or viewing management on a landscape scale. Therefore, on occasion they may be used on our reserves but they will only be operated by licensed pilots. Before being used, our knowledgeable and experienced reserve teams will take a number of factors into consideration, such as breeding times and they will only be used when absolutely necessary.

Not only can the use of unauthorised drones cause major disruption to wildlife but it can impact on our visitor experiences. We want everyone to be able to visit our reserves and experience how special they are.

Home from Home

Not only do our reserves create fantastic places to visit but they are first and foremost a home to wildlife. A home is somewhere as humans that we feel safe and this is no different for our wildlife. When considering the best way to enjoy your visit whilst being mindful of wildlife, why not think about how you would feel about these disturbances in your own home?

Take for instance you've had a long day and need to have an early night. You get into bed and your neighbour decides to start their noisy DIY project. You get up and ask them to stop but as soon as you get back into bed they start again, making it impossible for you to get the rest you really need. This is what it can be like for our wild friends when things such as drones cause disturbance.

How exactly do drones cause disruption on reserves?

• The shape and silhouette of a drone can often resemble that of a large predatory bird. This can then scare other birds and small mammals into fleeing, potentially leaving behind young.
• Birds operate on a delicate energy tightrope; this means that they use large amounts of energy to do things such as flying and foraging for food. If they cannot reserve these energy levels by resting they are unable to look after themselves as well as their young.
• Many of the birds on our reserves, may have travelled up to two thousand miles to get to here. The journey depletes a huge amount of their energy and therefore when they arrive rest is urgently needed. Constant disturbances can start to impact upon the rest and recovery time.
• Similar to wildlife, livestock can often be spooked by drones, becoming distressed and potentially attempting to flee. This could cause a number of problems such as injury from fleeing, aborting or abandoning young and stress related death. 
• If these birds are continuously scared away, they may not return the following year.

The UK Dronecode is published by the Civil Aviation Authority to assist drone users in flying safely. These codes evolve regularly so to keep yourself informed about where and when you can fly, check out   https://www.caa.co.uk/consumers/remotely-piloted-aircraft/general-guidance/information-for-the-public-about-uas-and-drones/

Being a friend to wildlife

We appreciate that the majority of our visitors are already doing a fantastic job of being a friend to wildlife and we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you.