Hiya,
I'm looking for maybe a little advice. We're currently renting a property and I think that we have a family of house sparrows taking up residence in the wall cavity right behind our heads in the main bedroom. They scratch and flutter pretty much all night especially in the mornings, making sleep a distant dream and are making our lives hell. Its effecting me at work and in general. They've been there for about 3 months now and we've seen them coming and going.
I know that moving them when nesting is illegal and I don't have anything against birds, but we really need something done so we can sleep again. I'm not sure if they're just roosting or nesting.
Should they leave us alone soon so we can try and get something done to fill the entry points, or is there any way we can get them moved out?
Hello Dfects, thanks for your question.
Bad news first (although it's good news for our red-listed sparrows) - you cannot do anything that will result in active birds nests being damaged or destroyed or prevent the adults accessing their nests, it's an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Good news for you is that it is nearly the end of their breeding season so things should get much quieter in the very near future.
House sparrows don't go far from their breeding sites, rarely more than a mile or two, if you take away their established breeding sites, you may lose them from the area. If you do decide to prevent them from accessing the wall or roof space where they are currently nesting I would urge you to do your bit for the conservation of this threatened species by providing alternative nesting boxes nearby, at least two, three of four would be great. House sparrows will take to the right type of nesting boxes (32mm entrance holes) and you should be able to live with them in relative peace if you locate the boxes under the eaves away from any bedroom windows and doors.
Some more information to guide you here and here.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.