Protecting our wild birds during their nesting season

As we say goodbye to the wintery months and welcome spring in, we also encounter the main bird nesting season which runs from mid-March to August (earlier after a mild winter). Bird nesting sites are protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (WCA) which in short means that it’s illegal to destroy an active nest or its contents.

It’s extremely important that developers assess the wildlife situation within the area of development before work is undertaken. One well-known example of the WCA being used was during the building of the Millennium Dome where the build was delayed due to a nesting mallard.

During this season, it is recommended that vegetation works such as tree and/or hedge cutting, or any site clearance should be avoided which can bring about many challenges to the build.

As a company, our Quality Site Inspectors get involved in these types of fragile areas and we fully support the reasoning behind the Act. Ensuring our native wildlife is protected is of great importance to us and we will offer guidance where required, we believe that having an environment which encourages native wildlife can work together with today’s construction.

‘In some cases, construction works will need to be halted until the nesting season has ended, which is the right thing to do. I once stopped the re-pointing of part of a stone barn because birds were nesting inside the wall. We had to work around that section of the wall and wait until the nest was empty to complete it. Construction work didn’t completely stop on that occasion, but we were very sensitive to the situation.’

Managing Director Tony Mobbs

We want to high-light the importance of taking extra care during this season. Our Quality Site Inspectors will work with the contractor and check whether there are any active nests on the site before any vegetation is removed.

Although many birds nest in trees, there are some ground-nesting species so extra care is required when removing vegetation in this area. If you would like to find out more about the ‘Protecting birds from development’ please look at the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk

If you have a construction project that has nesting birds on your development and require advice, please speak with us on 01226 743959.

Hickton Quality Control

Amber Court
51 Church Street
Elsecar
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S74 8HT

 

Legals

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy

Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram