Fears for safety of birds as trees are cut down during nesting season

24th June

By Hedi MehrezReporter

THERE are growing fears for the safety of Swindon’s birds after reports of trees being chopped down during nesting season.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds recommends that any tree or hedge cutting or site clearance takes place outside the period, which runs from February to August.

But people living in the town say this advice is being ignored. 

Freshbrook resident Adonis Sola, 55, said: “I’ve seen a lot of contractors cutting down trees in the area but why now? 

“That’s cruelty to birds if they do it without even checking. Nature is wonderful, the birds are trying to build shelters and it is a lot of effort to build that nest. 

“And then if you are the human being, and just cut down the trees, it’s just unacceptable. It’s like destroying a house.” 

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, nests and eggs are protected by law.

A number of streets have seen vegetation disappear in recent months, including Freshbrook Way, the playpark near Shaw Ridge School, the path and park near Oliver Tomkins Primary School and an area close to Sudeley Way. 

A West Swindon resident who did not want to be named said on Facebook that she had seen contractors cutting trees down, despite birds nesting in them. 

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Rare hoopoe bird ruffles feathers in West Swindon

10th September

A MOHICAN feathered visitor struck an unusual sight in Grange Park gardens, bringing keen birdwatchers to West Swindon.

Tanya Hill first spotted the hoopoes in her Poynings Way garden on Friday, prodding its beak into her lawn in search of ants.

The mum-of-one said: “It was beautiful to watch, slow moving and placid.”

Normally found in Africa or southern Europe, hoopoes are about the size of a magpie. The long-beaked birds have orange plumage, with a black and white pattern on their wings. A crown of feathers sticks up around an inch from their heads.

While it is uncommon to find hoopoes in the UK, they sometimes get blown off-course as they migrate from Africa to Europe.

Tanya posted a picture of the bird onto the West Swindon Facebook page on Saturday: "I wondered if it had been a baby bird and if anyone else had seen it."

A message was also sent to thousands of keen birdwatchers through programme Rare Bird Alert.

By Sunday, there were a dozen birdwatchers touring quite suburban streets in the hope of spotting the hoopoe.

“If you looked out the back windows there was the bird,” Tanya said. “If you looked out of the front windows there were birdwatchers.”

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