Breeding Bird Check at South Shields

Braving the Beast from the East

All breeding birds are protected under UK law, making it an offence to harm or kill individual birds or destroy their eggs and nests. The best way of avoiding harming breeding birds is by carrying out works outside of the breeding season, which runs from 1 March until 31 August. However, avoiding this period is easier said than done; other factors are often in play, and waiting six months can seriously delay projects. The simplest way to ensure that breeding birds are not harmed during this period is to complete thorough checks of buildings and/or vegetation.

Now that March has arrived, so too has spring and the breeding bird season. At least, that’s the theory. The beginning of the month saw most of the UK firmly in the grasp of the ‘Beast from the East’ with heavy snowfall, sub-zero temperatures and massive wind chill. Such extreme weather is no excuse for flouting the law, so when EcoNorth was commissioned to undertake a breeding bird check in a blizzard on 1 of March at McNulty’s Yard at South Shields, one of our Ecologists wrapped up warm and headed to site.

The site in question was an old shipyard on the Tyne at South Shields, which was undergoing demolition. The northern aspect of the building had already been removed, allowing easy access to birds and suitable nesting sites.

Despite the sideways snow, 8 inch drifts and biting wind chill, pigeons and gulls were observed flying around and within the building. No Penguins were noted! Thanks to keen observations of the birds’ behaviour, and due to the extreme weather, I was able to determine that the birds were (unsurprisingly) using the building for shelter rather than for nesting. After informing the site manager of my findings, a letter was produced to inform the client that works could continue for five days, but that the building would need re-checking after the five-day period should the demolition works not be completed by that time.

EcoNorth completed the breeding bird check thus allowing works to proceed in a legally compliant manner.