Traditionally, this is the time when people think about giving their garden a spring clean. However, it is also often the time that many garden birds start to lay their first clutch of eggs.
Neil Pilcher, Senior Conservation Officer, said
“Easter is early this year and the winter weather has been remarkably mild which means that birds will also be nesting early. I would urge people to be careful. The Trust has already had reports of blackbirds building nests in gardens. It only takes a moment for a nest to be accidentally destroyed or exposed to predators.”
We recommend that you check your garden before starting work. Hedges are the most likely places to find nests, especially dense evergreen hedges such as Leylandii. However, working in the same area for long periods can also cause birds to abandon their nests. Spend just a few minutes looking through hedges and shrubs for signs of nests before starting work.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act all birds are protected whilst nesting. This protection starts from the moment they start building the nest until the young have fledged. If there is any doubt then the work should be postponed until the nesting season is over, which is generally accepted as 31st July.