Hedges need to be managed to ensure they continue being useful as a shelter and refuge for wildlife.
This weekend will (most likely) be your last chance to give your hedges a good clip before the summer.
A word of warning
Even now there might be a bird nesting, in which case it'll be too late.
If you have a mature, thick hedge, please check carefully for nesting birds before you go ahead. It's against the law to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built - so if in doubt, leave alone and enjoy watching your garden wildlife instead!
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Thanks for that info as I'm trimming this weekend, was hoping to do something before any nesting started - I'm a newbie to attracting birds other than just feeding, and I've always had blackbirds that nest unsuitably in a unsafe and easily accessible nest in the wisteria, so I've bought an open fronted one designed for blackbirds.
Any suggestions as to where it should go? Open space, hidden in a pyracanthus? We seem to have a resident Jay that got the nest last year so I wanted to ensure they had more protection - should it face a particular direction?
sorry if this sounds obvious or I'm not in the right forum - newbie to the site and yours seemed a practical comment to latch onto! thanks