Birdwatch Ireland has issued a reminder for the ongoing ban on hedge cutting to be adhered to until the practice can resume in September.
Under the Wildlife Act, it is against the law to cut, burn or otherwise destroy vegetation including hedges between March 1 and August 31.
The purpose of this ban is to prevent the disturbance and destruction of nesting sites of many of our wild bird species.
Birdwatch Ireland has stated: “The annual ban on hedge-cutting applies to private gardens as much as it does to farms and the wider countryside.
“While some green-fingered folk may argue that, with a steady hand, they can leave a nest unshaken, the sheer act of getting that close to the hedge and nests within it could be enough for the adult birds to abandon it.
“Without their parents, the eggs and chicks in the nest have virtually no hope of survival. If they don’t succumb to starvation due to lack of food delivery by an adult bird, they are likely to be victims of predation,” the organisation added.
The Wildlife Act also prohibits the burning of vegetation during the nesting season.
This is aimed at protecting our ground-nesting bird species in upland habitats, many of which have seen their populations plummet in recent decades.
This includes species such as curlew, lapwing, skylark, meadow pipit and hen harrier.
Birdwatch Ireland clarified that the Wildlife Act does have exemptions which allow hedge-cutting during the closed period, for example, should there be road safety concerns.
However, the organisation urged those who witness hedge-cutting or burning in any place or at any time during this period, to report it to the local Gardaí and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Forty-three prosecution cases were initiated by NPWS in 2023 for alleged breaches of wildlife legislation, a 39% increase since 2022.
Wildlife crimes reported range from the disturbance of bats, illegal hunting, damage to Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), destruction of hedgerows and burning of vegetation within the restricted period, and more.
Birdwatch Ireland also issued a reminder that under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to disturb and/or photograph nesting birds, without a specific licence from the NPWS required for “a person to take… video/pictures of a wild bird of a species… on or near a nest containing eggs or unflown young”.
The conservation organisation has asked the public to wait until chicks have fledged and left the nest before they photograph them.