Birds Nest for sale on ebay.

[Alan de Enfield]

Could be every continuous moorers dream.

 

 

From C&RT news updates :

 

 

Nesting birds on boats

As a boater, you need to be aware of the love lives of your local birds, or else you could find your boating plans thwarted by a nest where you don’t want one. If you don't want to get stuck with a duck, read on!

As we move into spring’s warmer months (hopefully!) birds will all be looking out for the best nesting sites to incubate their eggs. Whilst swans and geese rarely nest on boats, many ducks, coots and moorhens are more than happy to nest on a boat, especially in urban areas where safe nesting sites can be in short supply.

While it might seem like a wonderful thing to watch nature up close for a few weeks, awaiting the chirps of newly hatched babies, it can cause major havoc with your plans. By law you will not be able to move your boat until the baby birds have left the nest.

If you are liveaboard boater it could be even worse, leaving you seeking alternative accommodation for the duration once your water tank is empty, your toilet tank full, and depending on the location of the nest, being unable to run the engine to generate power.

Bird nests and the law

All wild birds are protected but some more than others. Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 states that it is an offence to intentionally take, damage, or destroy the nest of any wild bird while the nest is in use or being built. This means that it would be illegal to move boats which host occupied nests.

We have raised this issue with Natural England who advised that a licence to disturb nesting birds would not be granted for boating activities. In practical terms, too, the time taken for a licence to be processed can be longer than the time taken for the chicks to leave! It suggested that boat owners should wait until the young have left the nest and then employ scaring tactics to prevent further birds from nesting, thus allowing a window of opportunity to move.

If your boat is not on your home mooring or is continuously cruising you need to contact your local licence support officer at the earliest opportunity to discuss the circumstances and let them know before you overstay more than 14 days in one place.

[Machpoint005]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

>>Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 states that it is an offence to intentionally take, damage, or destroy the nest of any wild bird while the nest is in use or being built.<<

 

I don't see how carrying a nest along with you on the boat is taking, damaging or destroying it. The nest is still sitting on exactly the same thing it was before.

 

Presuming, of course, that you don't actually touch it (and why would you?).

[Momac]

 

 

Moving a boat with nest on it isn't going to be good outcome for any eggs in the nest  is it ?

 

 

 

 

[MHS]

27 minutes ago, MartynG said:

 

 

Moving a boat with nest on it isn't going to be good outcome for any eggs in the nest  is it ?

 

 

 

 

But most birds make their nests in tree branches. They move in the wind, what’s the difference?

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, MHS said:

But most birds make their nests in tree branches. They move in the wind, what’s the difference?

 

I guess the tree is still in the same place when 'mother' returns back from work.

The boat may not be.

[MHS]

Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I guess the tree is still in the same place when 'mother' returns back from work.

The boat may not be.

Maybe bridge hop then?

Or self isolate by continually mooring?

[Momac]

6 minutes ago, MHS said:

But most birds make their nests in tree branches. They move in the wind, what’s the difference?

The difference  is trees don't move off down the canal.

Move the boat more than a little distance and the bird will not find the nest .

[Alan de Enfield]

28 minutes ago, MartynG said:

The difference  is trees don't move off down the canal.

Move the boat more than a little distance and the bird will not find the nest .

 Post #5

 

 

[MHS]

Never ceases to amaze me when a really large building project is massively delayed because of just one blackbird’s nest. 

 

If it was a Golden Eagle or Osprey that’s fair enough. But one blackbird?

 

I was a long time member of the RSPB  but I don’t feel they live in the real world any more. 

[Momac]

5 minutes ago, MHS said:

Never ceases to amaze me when a really large building project is massively delayed because of just one blackbird’s nest. 

 

If it was a Golden Eagle or Osprey that’s fair enough. But one blackbird?

 

I was a long time member of the RSPB  but I don’t feel they live in the real world any more. 

It's the law .

The company I work for has department that does nothing else but advise on ecology. Some jobs are certainly delayed  a development doesn't get going before the bird nesting season. 

 

[MHS]

I know that it’s the law but don’t know how old the ruling is.

 

If you were say building a large affordable housing project, is it really reasonable to delay it for just one nest of a very common British bird. 

[Man 'o Kent]

"But most birds make their nests in tree branches."

 

Birds can be really inventive!

I have some photographs taken by my Grandfather, probably 100 years or so ago now, of a Robin that chose to nest in a  1 gallon oil can, one of those round ones with a tapered top and a really quite small screw top hole. The Robins successfully raised their brood in the can  although I do not have any idea how the fledglings got out or maybe my Grandfather tipped the can on its side to make it a bit easier for them.

Mark you, he did seem to have a special relationship with the local Robins because I can remember, as a small boy, watching one that was more than happy to take a breakfast of mealworms from his hand and would, or so Grandfather claimed, tap on his bedroom window if he was late getting up.

[Ex Brummie]

When major roadworks were planned in Wolverhampton, the contractors covered the adjacent trees with netting to discourage nesting. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but the work continued on time.

There isnow much concern about bat infestation in churches in East Anglia wherebat excrement is degrading buildings.

The worm turns?

[Jen-in-Wellies]

11 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

When major roadworks were planned in Wolverhampton, the contractors covered the adjacent trees with netting to discourage nesting. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but the work continued on time.

There isnow much concern about bat infestation in churches in East Anglia wherebat excrement is degrading buildings.

The worm turns?

There is your answer. If you plan to go cruising this summer, cover your boat with netting now!

?

[Up-Side-Down]

And then, a couple of years ago, there were the pair of moorhens that (due to tardiness on the part of Scottish Canals) built there nest on top of one of the hydraulic propellor legs of the weedcutter moored at Bowling. That machine didn't go to work until mid-summer, between broods!

[zenataomm]

It's up to the individual to support their own point of view and whether they feel breaking a law is acceptable to them.

 

Last year a breeding pair of Blue Tits chose a gap behind the towing hook set into the stem post on my boat.  

I decided they were just as entitled to raise their family as I was to use the boat, and waited.

Those two worked harder on board than I have for years.

 

So I had to portage containers of water and lug car batteries about for a while, big deal.

This year I sharpened my game up a bit and blocked the gap in January, just in case the kids came back to visit.

[Jim Riley]

"What, all the fledglings have gone? In the night? Dam*ed mink, I blame animal rights activists." 

[TheBiscuits]

15 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

"What, all the fledglings have gone? In the night? Dam*ed mink, I blame animal rights activists." 

Nice hat though.

 

Safer than trying for wolfskin ....

[cuthound]

 

5 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

There is your answer. If you plan to go cruising this summer, cover your boat with netting now!

?

 

Or just carefully remove the stern fender and leave it behind??