Topic: Bird nesting season

[Unwashed]

Please be aware that birds start nesting right at the start of March and carry on all the way through to August.  So please don't trim your hedges then.  But you can get birds nesting in all kinds of other places too:  wrens and robins particularly like to find nooks in your shed, like the pocket of a donkey jacket or a teapot.  Certainly any bit of scrub or bramble, or even just a bunch of debris left lying around will be a prime nest site, so please leave it quiet through the nesting season.

Newbury Town Council have again been cutting our site hedge in the nesting season.  There are nests to be seen, though it's not clear whether they've been abandoned or weren't in use, but by the 4th week of March it's inevitable that nesting will be disturbed by any hedge work.  It's an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to disturb a nest while it's being built or used - and that includes disturbing a bird with a bit of nest material in its mouth - so if you see it going on report it to the police.

More here.

[landimad]

ALL nesting birds are protected by law.

It is an offence for any person to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while the nest is in use or being built. 

March to August is the peak nesting bird season although birds can nest ALL year.

Thorough checks are required before work is done that may disturb a nesting bird. Refer to standard maintenance procedure: Protected Sites & Species Management NR/PRC/MTC/EN0099 or Nesting Bird guidance note on Connect.

 

[Trevor_D]

We have a long hawthorn hedge along the front of our site. It's in our lease that we must cut it annually, but this doesn't happen until July, and only then after a thorough inspection. (We usually do a litter-pick a couple of weeks before the hedge-cutting, which gives us the chance to look properly.)

[Georgie]

Timely advice.  :)

I saw a very rare sight in my tiny garden yesterday.  A rook landed on my fence and plucked out a mouthful of dried Carex from one of my hanging baskets.  I hope he comes back and 'tidies up' up the rest, it'll be one less job for me.   ;D

G x

[grotbag]

That's unusual g, too see a rook and an old crow together. ;D ;D ;D 

[Georgie]

That's unusual g, too see a rook and an old crow together. ;D ;D ;D 

You can go off people you know!   ;)

G x

[Duke Ellington]

That's unusual g, too see a rook and an old crow together. ;D ;D ;D 

Georgie the devil made me post this !! :P

[lorna]

Georgie with a friend like grotbag I hope you haven't got any enemies LOL

[Georgie]

I'm ROFL as it happens, Lorna.  A bit a friendly cheek is good for the soul.......and I'll deal with Duke later in the chat room. ;)

G x

[Bugloss2009]

offence to disturb a birds nest? So I can get the police to prosecute the magpies that have been sniffingb] around for the past couple of days? The pair of blackbirds in the viburnum tinus should be OK, but the pair in the conifer are in for a hard time, poor things

[Unwashed]

Ah, Bugloss, that's always difficult isn't it.  I love all (non human) living creatures, and that includes the ones that eat other ones.  The problem is when we upset the balance.  Corvids and hawks will eat the odd hedgerow bird, but only so many, but destroy the hedge and they're all gone.

[Bugloss2009]

the magpies had a nest at the bottom of our garden last year, and the ones this year started to build on it, but after me making it plain they're not welcome, they've started building another one about 20 feet away in next door's garden. Still last year we had a lot of young blackbirds fledge successfully, even though something got one of the female parents.

[Ninnyscrops.]

I had a bluetit thoroughly investigate the inside of my peg bag that was hanging on the line last week!

Ninny  :)

[Bugloss2009]

just in time for the cold weather, a baby blackbird  in the tree at the front. Took it's time hiding itself when I went over to look

[landimad]

Blackbirds have moved into the pyracantha and boy do they sing a lot when I am on nights at the moment.  :) :( :-\

[tricia]

Blackbirds have moved into the pyracantha

oh goody! when this rain lets up I am having a 30ft long pyracantha hedge planted to replace an old overgrown shrubbery. I chose pyracantha in the hope it would prove a popular nesting place for birds. The plants are 100 cm tall so I hope that the hedge will grow nice and thick within a couple of years.

None of my nesting boxes have ever attracted more than minimal attention.  :(

Tricia

[landimad]

Hope there are more than one colour of berry.
I have this old bush which had wire cutting into it.
Chopped it back to a stump and it has come back well.
Lots of berries and plenty of flowers too.
Enjoy your new hedge and lets hope the wildlife too.

[Ninnyscrops.]

Mahonia and all the petals on the floor at this time of year isn't bloom drop, it's the result of bluetits pecking them off to get to the sweet bit inside, I've been watching them do it!

Ninny

[landimad]

Neighbours Mahonias have been had by the blue tits too.
Look hard into this pictu to see the little blue tit. ;D
Blackbirds are getting plenty of moss from my lawn to line their nest too.