IMAGINE coming home to find your front door blockaded shut – with your young children trapped inside.
That’s what has been happening to nesting sparrows in Redditch this week, says a resident, as several houses on Batchley Road underwent a facelift with new cladding fitted to both the front and back of the homes.
On Monday (April 24) contractors, at the request of Redditch borough council, were fitting cladding to the houses when the resident noticed they were working on a house where a family of sparrows was nesting.
After spotting that with the cladding in place, the parent birds were unable to reach their nest and were flying frantically around the area.
In the end the resident called the police who then spoke to the contractors who agreed to stop working on the property and uncover the nest.
A council spokesperson said: “Our contractor informed us that the situation has now been resolved and they have worked with the RSPB on the matter.
“Certain areas of the soffit have been removed so the birds can still access the nests. Once the birds have migrated the contractor will return to infill the gaps.”
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says house sparrows are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take a house sparrow, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.
The main nesting and breeding season is from April to August and during these months it is important to check for active nests before any repairs to roofs are carried out.
The resident added: “I know for a fact that sparrows are nesting in my house, and while I appreciate it looks nice to have new cladding fitted, I would never do so during the prime nesting season.”
An RSPB spokesperson said: “All birds, their nests and eggs are protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. In this case the local resident was right to call the police, since an active bird nest was threatened.
The spokesperson added: “It would be helpful if buildings were surveyed before work is done to check for any nests, or work avoided between March and August as this is the main breeding season for nesting birds.”
The RSPB is currently raising awareness of the challenges facing the swift, a bird species which relies on houses for nesting space.
If people spot swifts entering a hole in a building – or flying near to buildings – they can record their sightings here https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/conservation-projects/swifts/
Sparrow nests are often built in holes and crevices within buildings, usually filled with dry grass or straw with a nesting chamber lined with feathers, hairs, string and paper.
Visit https://www.rspb.org.uk to find out more.
