Local birdlife in danger this weekend

This weekend is traditionally the busiest of the year for home owners looking to take advantage of the summer’s last long weekend to prepare their gardens for the winter months ahead.

But RSPB Wales has issued a plea for home owners, local authorities and contractors alike to be careful, and has warned that all bird’s nests and eggs are protected by law, making it illegal to deliberately destroy nests in your garden or the greater countryside.

Dana Thomas from RSPB Cymru, says: “Many calls to our Wildlife Enquiries line at the moment are from people that have started hedge trimming and discovered a nest.

“It is very disturbing for gardeners to think they have upset their garden birds and they worry that they may fly the nest and the young won’t survive.

“Save yourself a job and avoid it for a few weeks yet, ideally until late September at the earliest. But if you do need to do it sooner for safety reasons perhaps, try and replace any greenery as much as possible so as not to deter the birds.”

The peak breeding season has ended but garden birds like pigeons and collared doves have extended breeding periods and may still be nesting. Most garden birds breed between March and August but some species will be on their nests until late into September.

They also warn that early cutting could be starving birds and mammals of a vital fruit supply, as many plants will still have an abundance of berries which could see the birds through the winter.

For more information on gardening for wildlife visit www.rspb.org.uk/hfw