EXPERT TIPS... SAVE THE BIRDS
May is the time when plants really start to grow in earnest and hedges, or other closely clipped shrubs, soon develop a rather shaggy, unruly appearance; this is especially true with specimens grown as formal shapes. While it is quite tempting to get clipping, doing so could easily put you on the wrong side of the law.
Hedge headlines mostly involve neighbourly disputes over high hedges, but there are also legal considerations that are intended to protect our feathered neighbours. Wild birds in the UK generally nest between March and early August, with many nesting in garden hedges, so in May they are especially vulnerable if hedges are cut.
It is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. In addition, the birds themselves, and their eggs, are also protected. If you are lucky enough to have nesting species with special protection – such as a firecrest or yellowhammer – it is also an offence even to disturb them while nesting, building a nest, or to disturb their chicks.
Before cutting a hedge, check that no birds are nesting; if there are, wait until late August or September. You should also inform neighbours if the hedge is on a shared boundary.
Cleaning out nest boxes is also illegal between February 1 and July 31, and any unhatched eggs can only be removed between September and January (Augustjanuary in Scotland). These must then be disposed of; wild bird egg collecting is also illegal.
Wild birds do need our consideration and protection, so just a few tweaks to your garden regime will increase their chances of survival immensely.