Anno

Not if its an Academy, its like Council Houses - most Local Authroities don't have them any more so they are owned by Housing Associations - good old Thatcher!

Looks like they could be going to 'Ring' the birds for monitoring purposes, but they should have sought permissions.

must be the heat...

Yeah, lovely male Golden Oriole, stunning bird and increasingly rare.

I am just reporting from the press release and finding it really difficult to find any further details that doesn't include bias from either side of the fence, in my opinion if an offence was committed and the nest contained birds or eggs the outcome is piss poor and shows how ineffective the law is, I have knowledge of the terminology 'restorative justice' and still await the person who felled 2 TPO'd trees in my old Borough 7 years ago to do his 48 hours with the Council's litter pickers.

Some birds, known as ‘schedule 1 birds’, eg barn owls, have extra legal protection. For these bird species it’s also an offence to do the following, either intentionally or by not taking enough care: disturb them while they’re nesting, building a nest, in or near a nest that contains their young disturb their dependent young You could get an unlimited fine and up to 6 months in prison for each offence if you’re found guilty.

The original report states 'active' so within the breeding process.

It was a shooting estate, also anyone who’s spent any time in a wood with an active goshawk nest in the breeding season cannot fail to notice it, and if you’re a forester that spends most days out amongst the trees, there is absolutely no way you’d miss it. Huge in structure, everywhere covered with white crap and prey remains, and the adults are very vocal! (This is not a cryptic species that cowers down and maintains silence by playing dead when under threat.) I would argue that it is virtually impossible to stand next to the nest tree, fell it with a chainsaw and remove the trunk and all the branches without noticing there was an active goshawk nest in it, even the worst kind of idiot could not make such a mistake .

For information, poor result I would say but at least it shows that the Legislation is used sometimes - if badly!

Restorative justice used following tree felling incident which led to destruction of bird nest A man who unknowingly destroyed a bird of prey nest after cutting down trees has completed a successful restorative justice outcome. Officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Team were called to an estate on the outskirts of Gloucester on Saturday 5 June where it was reported that a tree had been felled causing an active Goshawk Nest to be destroyed. The man, who is an agricultural labourer, was identified after admitting that he had felled the tree without checking for any bird’s nests. He attended for a voluntary interview and was ordered to pay a £100 donation to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). A condition was also put into place which allowed Glos Raptors Monitoring Group to access the site so that they can monitor the existing birds of prey, monitor active nests and put cameras up to protect bird of prey habitats. PC Phil Mawdsley oversaw this saying: “Bird nesting season generally takes place from March to August, however can fall outside of this period and during this time you shouldn’t cut down trees or trim hedges without checking for the presence of birds and it is an offence under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 to disturb birds or damage their nests and unfortunately this happened after an act of recklessness. Advice around cutting hedges or trees at this time of year can be found here“. A spokesperson for the RSPB said: “It appears that this was the only tree in the wood to be felled and then completely removed at a time when it contained an active goshawk nest. Goshawk nests are huge structures and the contents of the nest would be equally obvious. “Goshawks are rare breeding birds and have been subjected to regular persecution through the years, which sadly continues today. To intentionally damage or destroy the active nest of a goshawk, or any wild bird, is against the law. Raptor Persecution is a National Wildlife Crime priority, and the goshawk is a priority species.” More information on restorative justice in the county can be found here. ENDS

Too early for Hawthorn Moth Scythropia crataegella, only on the wing in July. Its one of the Ermines but a lot of similar Micro-moth species, very common up here in Cheshire

man that python is fast!

A Woodland Order protectes the woodland and the trees that are regen in the years to come, as for thinning out and removing rhodies that is woodland management to benefit biodiversity so I would be very surprised if it was not supported. I would submit it has an ongoing management plan.

Won't comment on the case, however the Condition for the replanting of the tree is part of UK Law, in the Legislation it states – The Duty to Replace Trees 11.2 Under section 206(1) of the Act the landowner is under a duty to replace a tree which is removed in contravention of the TPO. Outside woodlands the duty also applies if the tree is removed because it is dead, dying or has become dangerous (for more advice on the replacement of woodlands see paragraph 11.11-11.12 below). 11.3 The duty on the landowner is: (1) to plant another tree, (2) of an appropriate size and species, (3) at the same place, (4) as soon as he or she reasonably can.

female Sparrowhawk, nice.

Lead singer in Slade? Nice...

It is forbidden to kill or injure bats, disturb them or to obstruct or destroy their roosts (even if the bats are not inside). Breaking these laws could incur a fine of up to £5000 per incident or per bat, up to six months in prison and forfeiting the equipment used to commit the crime.

Nice, dont get them up North where i am but seen them in Normandy.

Local Kestrel the other day...

Look more like Hirundines, Martins or swallows?

Because it will cost him £2.00 and he can add a £10 to include admin on the Bill?

Do a Land search, cost it into the job, find definitive owner and crack on? Fees about £2.

Something tells me your Councils money issues will soon get a boost of around £20,000 and a reinstated TPO'd tree at cost to yourself (if its PTO'd of course!)

Trees displaying evidence of roosting bats or evidence of badger setts near should be referred to the Local Authority Ecologist before any work commences. Any trees confirmed to be supporting roosting bats or live Badger sets will not be worked on until Natural England is consulted. You would then need an Ecologist with a Bat Handling License to confirm.

2 years ago we had no Ash dieback locally in the North West UK, now it is in 90% of the Ash I see and also within masses of regrowth young trees, all showing diamond lesions. I wonder if many Council Tree Officers are still TPOing them?