Tag: nestsnotnets

Wales | Hedgerow netting that stops birds nesting

Posted on March 13, 2021March 13, 2021 by Charlie Moores

Another Spring, another use of netting to stop birds from nesting so as not to inconvenience (or cost) a developer – this time from Powys in Wales. Why would anyone net a hedge? Because while active nests of almost all bird species are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act (see Nesting birds and the Law), stopping them from nesting in the first place is not. So, as a pre-emptive strike (and often even before the development has been given permission to go ahead) developers are putting up nets (or recommending others do it). And what a handy excuse it’s becoming. Note in the article below the either breathtakingly ignorant or breathtakingly mendacious claim that netting a hedgerow “should not be interpreted as pre-empting the planning process”. Over-use of pesticides, intensive agriculture, an obsession with ‘tidiness’, massive habitat change, and now determined efforts to stop our birds from nesting. Little wonder why we are living in one of the most nature-depleted regions on the planet…

Petition Update | Save last North Shields nesting kittiwakes – Remove the netting!

Posted on March 6, 2021March 6, 2021 by Charlie Moores

The netting off of nest sites is becoming a real blight across the UK, as the #NestsNotNets Twitter campaign has been detailing. Why is this happening? Nests of almost all wild birds are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (and amendments) as we have explored extensively in our ever-evolving post Nesting Birds and the Law, but in most cases nest sites are not. If developers or local authorities can stop nests from being started, then technically they are not breaking the law. It’s a ridiculous situation and is being exploited time and time again. One of the most notorious examples – thanks to excellent work by local campaigners – is the disgraceful deterrent measures being used on ledges used by (Black-legged) Kittiwakes along the Tyne River in North Shields. Daniel Turner launched a petition on Change.org last year, calling for the removal of all bird-deterrent netting. He has been posting regular updates on the petition page, and has just posted this tenth update.

Guest post: 6,000 mile flights and the lengths Dukes go to avoid bird poo

Posted on April 26, 2020April 30, 2020 by Charlie Moores

This spring Chatsworth House have been permitted to put up bird netting to stop swifts, swallows and martins pooing on their statues. Swallows are visitors to Chatsworth House, migrating up to 6,000 mile to nest in the same place each year. They are summer visitors and have a small timeframe to breed in and it is possible that many of these birds won’t manage to find an appropriate alternative. Instead of supporting the declining population, Chatsworth could in fact be contributing to their further decline.

#NestsNotNets

Posted on March 13, 2020April 23, 2020 by Charlie Moores

It’s unlikely that the politicians that steered incredibly important protections for wild birds and their nests through various parliaments ever imagined that one day some developers would look at the law and instead of thinking, Yes, we must protect nesting wild birds, would instead think Hmm, if we can stop birds nesting we can pretty much do any work we want without the law being able to touch us. But that, writes Charlie Moores, is what’s happening right now…

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