Conservationists are warning of an increase in recent weeks of the nesting sites of endangered breeding waders, such as the curlew, being destroyed by dogs.
Breeding waders are among the most endangered bird species in Ireland.
The most famous of them - the curlew - has seen 98% of its population lost since the 1980s.
One of the few remaining habitats for the curlew, and other endangered ground-nesters like the oystercatcher, is around Lough Ree near Athlone.
The habitat there is looked after by the Breeding Waders EIP project, which aims to secure existing breeding wader populations and support population recovery.
Conservationists working in the area say there has been a rise in incidents of loose dogs chasing the endangered birds and disturbing their nests.
Senior Project Manager Owen Murphy said the team has increasingly seen "human activity causing significant disturbance to these birds.
"Disturbance can come in in a variety of different formats, from walking dogs off leads to camping in the wrong place, to driving across sensitive areas.
"These birds feel unsettled, they don't feel safe, they see humans and dogs as predators, and so therefore they're inclined to abandon areas that have too much human activity," he added.
The issue is a nationwide one, despite conservation efforts, including under the ACRES scheme.
Part of the Government's €1.5 billion ACRES climate scheme funds 20,000 farmers to help provide habitats for endangered waders.
However, Fergal Monaghan, Programme Director with ACRES, said the benefits of that work "can be put at risk by carelessness, particularly by dogs running off the leash".
"We would ask people to keep their dogs on a leash, or ideally, don't bring dogs to sensitive areas - wetlands, bogs and heat and coastal areas - particularly between the months of March and August," he added.
Mr Monaghan said "it's not being done maliciously, but a dog doesn't even have to catch a bird to do real damage, and it can drive birds away.
"Earlier this year, we've lost the breeding population of lapwing at Bunduff lake in Sligo. Unfortunately, that problem is mirrored up and down the country, and we just ask people to be careful during the nesting season in these high-value areas, to keep dogs on a leash or ideally leave them at home."
It is a criminal offence to wilfully disturb with the nesting site of any bird in the country and conservationists are asking members of the public to be mindful of the risk to these birds when in and around their habitats.
