Hi all,
I just registered on this site because I need some advice. I live in Rushden, in Northants, and my local Council has, for the second year running, sent maintenance contractors into a local Park, where they have destroyed all the vegetation growing in the wooded areas.
I thought last year that it seemed an odd thing to do, in the only park in the town which has any woodland at all, and now they've done it again! It seems to me to be exactly the sort of thing you would do if you wanted to discourage any sort of wildlife from making a home there. The undergrowth is obviously a haven for hundreds of species of creeping, crawling and flying thing, which in turn act as a food supply for the birds and small mammals. Am I correct in this assumption? have the Council just trampled all over the larder? Can anyone out there explain why they might have done such a thing? Because I plan write an indignant letter, and I don't want to be shouted down by experts who may know better.
Del
Hello Del, a warm welcome to the forum. I hope you find the answer you need. I may be wrong, but I think by the time we get to late July, it is considered safe to cut down vegetation, there not being any likely nests and young about. I suspect they are trying to keep seedling trees under control if it is a wooded site. And also if it is part of a public park, it may be necessary to keep it safe from people tripping over brambles etc. I know it seems awful, and I really don't know what I am talking about, so hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come on board and give you the advice you need. In the meantime, enjoy the forum, there are lots of threads on here which you might enjoy.
bye for now
Here in N.Yorkshire July seems to be the time for cutting back vegetation along paths,I know this because we are some of the vols that check it has been done.In your local park it may be similar so the public has safe access,it soon grows back anyway.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
all small birds will have stoped breeding now and will shortly be going in to the moltin season wood pigeons will breed up to 1st frost but there are high up in large trees so wont affect them. my husband as just clipped are hedges to day i wont let him do it till end of july
We generally advise that vegetation cutting should be avoided between March and August as many hedge nesting birds will breed throughout this period. Hedges and shrubs, in particular those that bear fruit and berries, should not be cut until the winter so that birds and other wildlife can feed on the crop of food which will keep them going through the winter.
I would recommend contacting the council to find out why they are doing this and make the point that nesting birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 whilst they have active nests. Any contractors carrying out vegetation cutting work would need to ensure that there were no active nests before going ahead.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Have to say,i agree with Ian.Lots of natural foods are being taken a way so cutting back should be as late as possible.Good luck.
An optimist sees the beauty of the complete rose.A pessimist sees only the thorn .
Hi Del, my local park has a thing called 'friends of Cotteridge park' it started 12 years ago when the council wanted to decommison the park.Meaning they would no longer take care of it, and I presume when it became overgrown, sell it. A group of us got together saying'Oh no you don't!' Petitioned people, and even held a noisy meetting, with placards on the council step, resulting in press interest. We Won! we now run the park, and although the council does the grass cutting, we oversee everything else. We have raised masses of cash for new tennis courts, purchased adjoining land and made a community orchard etc.So if you haven't such group, why not start one? The council defer to us in such matters as you describe.
isn't wild wonderful