Birds nesting
Nat1969
Posts: 9
Hi there can anybody help me please,I have a conifer in my garden which has birds nesting inside,we have just recived a letter from our neighbors insurance company saying that the roots are causing trouble with there conservatry and that the tree must come down,I have agreed to doing this but told them about the nest,they wasn't to pleased,can someone please tell me what to do or when the tree can come down,it's such a shame as I love watching the birds fly in and out,I'm all so worried that while we are at work the neighbour will remove the nest and pretend that it fell out on its own and they are the sort of poeple who would do that,we are up for sale also and ready to move at the end of July,do I leave it up and let the new home owners of our house sort it out and tell them about the trouble we are having with next door,I'm at my end of my teafther with these poeple as they are not wild life lovers like myself,please help,many thanks for reading this xx
Posts
Hi Nat,
You share a love for wildlife like I do.. unfortunately not all people do, nor are they all reasonable. However, I think you are obliged to let the new buyers know about the minor issue. It is actually illegal to interfere with known nest sites during March - September under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 if without a situation on the exception list.
Here is an example of a similar query, do you know which bird species is nesting?
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/ask-an-expert/previous/treefelling.aspx
Last edited: 25 June 2017 13:33:54
Hi Mark,many thanks for getting back to me,yes I will tell the new home owners about the situation,Iv just had a email from RSPB and they said the same as you,not to cut the conifer down till September,and not to cut the other conifer down which is night next to it as it will upset the birds and make them panic,it so up sets me that poeple do not like wild life,I came home from work midday and there was so much mess under the conifer and the birds were flying in and out like they were panicking,I think while I was at work the block next door was shacking the tree so that the nest would fall out,but I can't prove any think as I haven't got any pictures or camera at the ready,I would say the trees are only about 16 foot high and I never let them get any taller,I only planted them so next couldn't look in my garden every 5 minites lol,thanks for helping out in this matter,have a great Sunday xx
Ps,I think the birds are swallows I'm not to sure,one is light to medium brown and the othere is a darker shade both have yellow beaks,and chubby bellies x
Could they be blackbirds Nat, the female is a lighter shade of brown than the male
Hi mark,just been out there and I think you might me right,but they are not biggish birds,or am I thinking of the size of a crow lol xx
If two conifers can disturb a conservatory I would suggest it is lacking in foundations and shoddily built!
Tell your neighbours that removing the trees before October will cause more trouble than it saves because sap movement slows down then and there will be less of a shock to the water table and their conservatory. No idea if that's true but seems logical and by August the blackbirds should have finished unless they're on a second brood.
Putting up an outside camera wouldn't cost much and can be taken with you to your new house. Added insurance for those birds so maybe worth the bother.
Last edited: 25 June 2017 14:59:48
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Advise the neighbours that the RSPB have told you it's an offence to disturb the nest and tell them you have put up CCTV to ensure that nobody does disturb it. It doesn't matter whether you have put a camera up, it may be enough to make them back off.
If you are selling the house and there is an ongoing dispute with neighbours you must inform potential purchasers.
Unless the insurers have provided you with expert opinion, I would demand it before undertaking any work. Are you certain the letter is actually from the insurer and not something the neighbour has created themselves?
Hi Obelixx,many thanks for your info,we have clay soil were we live,and before I even planted the two conifers in 2006 they had to have some work done on there conservatry,my Husband 2 years ago cut a very large conifer which was in there garden down for them in the November as there tree got so big and they had a quote for £300 to take it down so my husband offered to cut it down as it was easier from our side to get to it so they said yes please,after a couple of months next door said they wished that the tree hadn't of been cut as so many cracks were appearing in there garden,they have hidden the trunk under some decking they have done,so when there survey had been done on our conifers the work men didn't even no about the tree they used to have,we have had a very dry winter and the soil out this way is terrible in the summer months,we also have a soak away in all of our gardens Nothink grows down the long strip and next door have concreted over there's to make it like a walk way to the top of there garden and I don't no if that is causing problems as well for them,the stress this has caused me is unbearable,many thanks again for your help in this matter xx
You probably won't be able to find anyone prepared to cut it until the nestlings have fledged, because anyone with the necessary skills, equipment and insurance would know it was illegal. If the neighbours in their impatience want to get in a cowboy, on their own heads be it.
Nat1969, from what you have said about a large tree being removed in the last year or 2 , it is far more likely that is the cause of the problem, not the remaining trees. It might be worth contacting the insurers to ask if they are aware of the other tree being removed AND that your neighbours told you shortly after it was removed that they regretted having it done.
If you can show that the problem can't be directly connected to your trees it greatly weakens the neighbours case, and will possibly offer some assurance to the purchasers of your property.