• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Hedgerows (1 Viewer)

This only applies to people with a UK postcode.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/244233

Not so...as long as you are a British citizen you can sign...I've signed

Just remember you have to click the link in the email they send you to actually make your signature count...and that email may, as mine did, hit your spam folder...kinda says it all about the current 'government'...LINO indeed

cheers, McM of the Northern wilderness full of happy people...

PS...there's another petition on-going right now that any sane person should sign...
 
Not so...as long as you are a British citizen you can sign...I've signed

Just remember you have to click the link in the email they send you to actually make your signature count...and that email may, as mine did, hit your spam folder...kinda says it all about the current 'government'...LINO indeed

cheers, McM of the Northern wilderness full of happy people...

PS...there's another petition on-going right now that any sane person should sign...

Agree fully, vote no deal Brexit and get outa there!
 
Signed.
However, a word of caution here. There are actually sometimes good reasons why hedges are netted to prevent nesting and this is actually to protect the birds themselves. At a recent industrial development near me the contractor placed netting over a hedgerow which was being removed in order to construct the new access road. Unfortunately, the hedge was initially going to be removed during the winter months but poor weather and other site delays meant that it was still there come February. The netting meant that there were no nesting birds put at risk when the hedge was finally cut down.
Before everyone starts throwing stuff, this was actually sound environmental management as the development also included various landscaping and planting initiatives with the result that there was actually a nett biodiversity gain on what had previously been wasteland and now has a variety of trees and shrubs, wildflower planting, hibernacula constructed from waste building materials and other features benefitting both the visual appeal and habitat richness of the site, despite the fact that there is a large industrial unit in the middle of it (which is also providing a significant amount of local employment).

Whilst I fully support the banning of such netting where there is no justifiable need (ie simply for peoples convenience in protecting their cars etc) we should ensure that we are in possession of the full facts before expressing outrage. Sometimes there is a wider picture and the means justify the end.
 
Signed.
However, a word of caution here. There are actually sometimes good reasons why hedges are netted to prevent nesting and this is actually to protect the birds themselves. At a recent industrial development near me the contractor placed netting over a hedgerow which was being removed in order to construct the new access road. Unfortunately, the hedge was initially going to be removed during the winter months but poor weather and other site delays meant that it was still there come February. The netting meant that there were no nesting birds put at risk when the hedge was finally cut down.
Before everyone starts throwing stuff, this was actually sound environmental management as the development also included various landscaping and planting initiatives with the result that there was actually a nett biodiversity gain on what had previously been wasteland and now has a variety of trees and shrubs, wildflower planting, hibernacula constructed from waste building materials and other features benefitting both the visual appeal and habitat richness of the site, despite the fact that there is a large industrial unit in the middle of it (which is also providing a significant amount of local employment).

Whilst I fully support the banning of such netting where there is no justifiable need (ie simply for peoples convenience in protecting their cars etc) we should ensure that we are in possession of the full facts before expressing outrage. Sometimes there is a wider picture and the means justify the end.

There's no such thing as wasteland and planting a few shrubs is not the same as allowing the continuation of a hedge that has been around for many years.

In addition visual appeal (as governed by human senses of aesthetics) gave us huge banks of Rhododendron and other invasives. It is not a thing so far as wilding is concerned.

So forgive me if I choose to retain a certain cynicism about the whole thing.

John
 
There's no such thing as wasteland and planting a few shrubs is not the same as allowing the continuation of a hedge that has been around for many years.

In addition visual appeal (as governed by human senses of aesthetics) gave us huge banks of Rhododendron and other invasives. It is not a thing so far as wilding is concerned.

So forgive me if I choose to retain a certain cynicism about the whole thing.

John

And you are quite right to be cynical John. in many (I would say the majority) of cases it is lip service that is being paid and developers think that sticking in a few rowan trees means they are being "environmentally friendly". However in this particular case I really do think that proper advice had been sought and that there was a genuine will. The site was a former landfill/industrial use with little or no existing vegetation. The planting that has taken place has been well selected for its variety which gives a high biodiversity co-efficient.
This area was always going to be developed for further industrial use so at least it is encouraging to see what can be achieved when there is a plan.
I am not defending development of green belt or other habitat rich areas simply for profit or vested interests but where developments are necessary (we all have to live and work somewhere) then this should be done through a much better informed planning process and where habitat creation and developments can co-exist should be applauded and followed as an example.

I will be the first to decry the wanton destruction of habitats or developments that have taken no consideration of the environment but am also willing to give credit where it is due.
 
And you are quite right to be cynical John. in many (I would say the majority) of cases it is lip service that is being paid and developers think that sticking in a few rowan trees means they are being "environmentally friendly". However in this particular case I really do think that proper advice had been sought and that there was a genuine will. The site was a former landfill/industrial use with little or no existing vegetation. The planting that has taken place has been well selected for its variety which gives a high biodiversity co-efficient.
This area was always going to be developed for further industrial use so at least it is encouraging to see what can be achieved when there is a plan.
I am not defending development of green belt or other habitat rich areas simply for profit or vested interests but where developments are necessary (we all have to live and work somewhere) then this should be done through a much better informed planning process and where habitat creation and developments can co-exist should be applauded and followed as an example.

I will be the first to decry the wanton destruction of habitats or developments that have taken no consideration of the environment but am also willing to give credit where it is due.

I stopped on my way to work last Friday to photograph the disappearance of another hedgerow on my patch. Whilst taking photos, I was approached by a woman associated with the land who proceeded to ask me why I was taking photos. After a twenty minute exchange where I was repeatedly told - 'you people don't know what you are talking about....' and during which I explained the catastrophic biodiversity collapse that we were standing by and witnessing as a result of incremental habitat removal, chemical use in the countryside, etc, she told me that they had taken advice and all they were doing was removing rubbish, brambles and dead trees. :-C

At the end of my road as a child, the wasteground that has since been manicured and tidied was solely used for flytipping. As a result, it was boggy and covered with brambles etc. It had wintering Snipe and breeding Skylark and Grey Partridge. No more.

Ho hum.

All the best
 
Last edited:
So sad these important habitats for a variety of wildlife are being ripped out so as to tidy, develop and clean a site. My opposite neighbours grubbed out a front garden hedge that I reckon was over 50 years old comprising mature blackthorn, hawthorn interspersed with ivy all atop a typical Norfolk roadside bank. Replaced with a vertical overlap fence. First and only words from them, " That's a lot tidier and prettier, don't you think?"

Gone are the House Sparrows, Honey bees, Holly Blues and Wood mice to name a few.
 
Last edited:
So sad these important habitats for a variety of wildlife are being ripped out so as to tidy, develop and clean a site. My opposite neighbours grubbed out a front garden hedge that I reckon was over 50 years old comprising mature blackthorn, hawthorn interspersed with ivy all atop a typical Norfolk roadside bank. Replaced with a vertical overlap fence. First and only words from them, " That's a lot tidier and prettier, don't you think?"

Gone are the House Sparrows, Honey bees, Holly Blues and Wood mice to name a few.

I have a similar story of woe that I put in thread recently where after my neighbour who is 101 years old had to go into a home and her son and family basically undertook a shock and awe program on the garden, one of the largest in the street with lots of mature trees and bushes, cutting down everything just leaving a vast expanse of lawn to, as they thought leave a blank canvas for potential buyers and save them the trouble of having to maintain the garden in the meantime. Since then the number of birds visiting my feeders has declined massively as they now have to run the gauntlet to reach my little garden as illustrated by the fact that on Sunday evening I saw a sparrow hawk crash into my living room window having snatched my resident male blackbird. Not saying this would not have happened anyway but predators now have a clear line of site and there is little or no cover over the fence from my little patch.
 
I stopped on my way to work last Friday to photograph the disappearance of another hedgerow on my patch. Whilst taking photos, I was approached by a woman associated with the land who proceeded to ask me why I was taking photos. After a twenty minute exchange where I was repeatedly told - 'you people don't know what you are talking about....' and during which I explained the catastrophic biodiversity collapse that we were standing by and witnessing as a result of incremental habitat removal, chemical use in the countryside, etc, she told me that they had taken advice and all they were doing was removing rubbish, brambles and dead trees. :-C

At the end of my road as a child, the wasteground that has since been manicured and tidied was solely used for flytipping. As a result, it was boggy and covered with brambles etc. It had wintering Snipe and breeding Skylark and Grey Partridge. No more.

Ho hum.

All the best

And there lies the problem. It is the very same brambles and trees that provide food sources such as insects and fruit/seeds, nesting sites and cover from predators. When will people understand that it can take years for these ecosystems to recover (if at all). What really gets my goat is constantly being told that rural communities and farmers are the are the lifeblood and custodians of our countryside yet they are the biggest culprits when it comes to destruction of habitat and poisoning of our wildlife (DDT being the prime example). Don't even get me started on hunting/shooting etc etc.

We all need to eat and yes food production is important (as are places to live and work) but it is about time some of these so called guardians who think they know what is best woke up to the realities of what is actually happening. As a kid, you would see yellow hammers, flocks of tree sparrows etc etc any time you ventured out of town. where are they now? Victims to the massive destruction of hedgerows in the name of intensive farming. Corncrake used to breed in practically every county but now is restricted to isolated populations in the Hebrides, due to the changes in farming practices. Where are the flocks of lapwings that where in every field? I could go on.
 
https://t.co/mw35Xfvi45

Not hedgerows but another example of nature being prevented from existing by those who are supposedly acting in our best interest. NNDC took advice and guidance from Natural England and the RSPB but implemented their own interpretation - due to written petitions, public protests and media coverage the majority of the betting is to be removed, all at taxpayer's cost. Personally I think the person or committee rubberstamping the work should pay the removal cost out of their combined salaries.
Same with Tesco in Norwich ( prevent swallows nesting ) and no doubt countless others throughout the UK.

I do despair.

P
 
Last edited:
https://t.co/mw35Xfvi45

Not hedgerows but another example of nature being prevented from existing by those who are supposedly acting in our best interest. NNDC took advice and guidance from Natural England and the RSPB but implemented their own interpretation - due to written petitions, public protests and media coverage the majority of the betting is to be removed, all at taxpayer's cost. Personally I think the person or committee rubberstamping the work should pay the removal cost out of their combined salaries.
Same with Tesco in Norwich ( prevent swallows nesting ) and no doubt countless others throughout the UK.

I do despair.

P

The really depressing aspect of this case is that having sought appropriate expert advice in the first instance they then chose to ignore it. I presume, like most local authorities (and many responsible contractors) NNDC employ environmental and sustainability officers/advisors so it makes me wonder just what their salaries are being paid for if they are either not consulted, ignored or simply incompetent
 
Steering this thread back away from politics (to, er...environmental politics!) I received the following email this morning from CIEEM (Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management):

'CIEEM and RSPB advise against netting on hedges and trees
Earlier this month, we released a joint statement with the RSPB regarding the use of netting on trees and hedges. Netting, which has become increasingly used in recent years, is used to prevent birds from nesting in vegetation needing to be removed from development sites during the breeding season. Whilst not illegal, we have considerable concerns about the use of this practice and we advise against its use.'


So, professional ecologists are being advised not to specify netting in future.

The one point I will make about the statement (before anyone else says it!) is that IMHO unless netting has been very carefully fitted, birds can be trapped and killed, and therefore it may well be illegal.
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top