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Sparrows' nest question

coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
in Wildlife gardening
Hello. Sparrows fledged from a nest attached to the house last week. OH cleaned it out and now I see the same couple(?) coming back with nesting material. Should we put back the used stuff? It's quite clean, they kept a tidy house. Thank you.

Luxembourg

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Sparrows often reuse their nest to raise up to four broods a year … they sometimes use the best for roosting in the winter too. 
    In this case I’d leave the nest materials easily accessible for them to rebuild as quickly as possible. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Just so you know, bird nests have the same level of legal protection as the birds themselves. The law says it is illegal to 'intentionally take, damage or destroy a wild bird’s nest while it’s being used or built' so as your OH removed the nest thinking it was not being used then he's in a grey area as all nests are supposed to be protected during the nesting season which nominally runs from the start of March to the end of August whether they are in active use or not.
    If nothing else then it's a good idea not to touch the nests if you can help it as they can be useful habitat for other creatures like bees.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    @wild edges … just thought I’d mention that @coccinella isn’t in the UK so there may be different regulations there.  😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Dovefromabove said:
    @wild edges … just thought I’d mention that @coccinella isn’t in the UK so there may be different regulations there.  😊 
    Oops didn't see that. The UK law was created under the European Directive which all states are supposed to follow:
    'Member States shall take the requisite measures to establish a general system of
    protection for all species of birds referred to in Article 1, prohibiting in particular:
    (b) deliberate destruction of, or damage to, their nests and eggs or removal of their nests'


    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500
    Best not to clear any nests away from inside nest boxes until late autumn, I normally wait until October to clear my bluetit boxes just to be safe.
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