Should I intervene?

[Atellus]

Hi. I haven't posted much in a long time but am still interested... honest! However, what has dragged me back is a dilemma I'm having about whether to intervene in what might seem an inconsequential situation. Nevertheless, I would appreciate your informed opinion.

I live in Cheshire in the north west of England and walk my dogs on what was formerly the Burtonwood airbase (perhaps some of you have heard of it - enormous US airbase that was the military gateway to Europe for many years during the Cold War).

A local farmer currently uses the site for silage and has various access points controlled by gates. One of these gates is a large metal affair with a sliding bolt recessed into the frame. The handle slides up and down a groove which permits access to the interior of the frame. A Coal tit has begun to nest inside this void. I observed it carrying nesting material inside.

What's the problem? Well, the nest is far enough inside as to not be visible but even so, when that bolt is drawn back it cannot fail to crush any birds within, including the sitting female, or smash any eggs.

What I propose is waiting for the parents to leave then stuffing a handy plastic bag down the recess in such a way that it won't block the bolt, but also deny the birds any further access, curtailing their nest building in that location before the season is much more advanced. They still have time to relocate. There are plenty of mature wooded areas around.

I have no idea when the gate might next be used. Might not be until after they've hatched. Might be tomorrow.

What would you do?

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Bushcraftsman]

I woud go ahead and do it. Like you say they have time to relocate, and better than having the poor things crushed for no reason

 

[Prawnster]

I live down the road from there in St.Helens. I didn't know the public could use the site, where do you gain access? Might be a nice change for me and the dog.

Oh and yeh I'd intervene

 

[Ronnie]

Farmer might be worth speaking to - I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed to lock the gate for the duration. And if he's not interested you could always go back to plan A.

 

[Totumpole]

I agree with ronnie

 

[British Red]

Its surprising how soft people are. Every year one of our local postboxes goes "out of use" for a while....due the the bluetits nesting in it.

I know your motivations are spot on, but interfering with that nest would be an offense...so I agree, have a chat with the farmer.

Red

 

[jackcbr]

Do chat with the farmer, they can be sensitive souls and if he has multiple access points, might be willing not to use that one.

We have a family of Blue tits that regularly nest in the hydraulic arms of one of our tractors. We use to not use it for months, but there are certain jobs that this tractor can only do, so had to use it. Turns out the mother wasn't that phased and followed it round. Didn't even mind the engine running.

That's been going on for well over 5 years now, so I'm guessing isn't the same female by now. Fantastic to watch.

 

[Chastiser]

Farmer might be worth speaking to - I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed to lock the gate for the duration. And if he's not interested you could always go back to plan A.

that seems a nice diplomatic solution (thumbs up)

 

[Manacles]

I know your motivations are spot on, but interfering with that nest would be an offense...so I agree, have a chat with the farmer.

Red

Might be worth giving your County Recorder and the RSPB a call first. British Red is right in that it would be an offence to tamper, but I see the dilemma in that if you don't................

If the farmer is a decent sort he might agree to chain the gate open for the summer..............

 

[Aaron]

Whilst I appreciate that your intentions are good, I think that you shoiuld just leave nature to take its course - the mindset that nature is fragile and requires our intervention is sadly too prevalent these days, and more often than not causes more harm than good. I have worked on farms since I was a teenager and its surprising the precarious locations where you see birds nesting that more often than not succesfully fledge their young.

 

[Atellus]

Thanks for the replies.

Contacting the farmer would probably be the way to start except that I have no idea who that is or where to find them! There are several active farms in the area, but the situation has been complicated by "development" (read urban sprawl) over the years and this has broken up a lot of farms into widely dispersed units. When a bullock escaped a few years ago I tried phoning around to find the owner but rapidly hit a brick wall because I simply couldn't locate contact details.

The other problem is that we regularly have gypsy/traveller encampments along the access roads to this site and if the gate were left open, the place would very quickly fill up and be utterly destroyed. There are extensive earthworks and ditches all around the site to prevent this.

Even so, it's possible the farmer might avoid using that gate for a while, if only I knew who he was! Anyone know of any good points of reference for this sort of thing?

In terms of letting nature take its course, I would agree entirely if this were a natural situation, but what exactly is natural about a tubular steel gate and the tractor/JCB that uses it? I did consider that the nest might survive the experience anyway, but upon examining the gate, the bolt is attached to an extremely long shaft which slides up and down the interior of the frame and the nest would have to be a considerable distance along the length of the frame in order not to be in the way of this shaft. I doubt the breeding pair are willing to hike quite that far down a long, dark tunnel.

For dog walkers

First, a disclaimer. I am not aware of any legal right of access. There are signs from 'english partnerships' (lower case 'e' is their idea) that claim you're trespassing and that it's all reserved for development, but no one has ever been prosecuted or even warned off and the site is often bouncing with dogs and their owners as well as pleasure walkers, RC plane enthusiasts, kite fliers and commuters, especially at this time of year. However, what's left that hasn't been built on is still big enough to accommodate them all.

There are multiple access points where you can either climb over the anti-gypsy earthworks or use gaps beside gates, but if you don't know the area I recommend aiming for the Royal Mail distribution centre next to the Lingley Mere business park (home of United Utilities). You want the Omega Boulevard which you follow to the end, then take the right turn onto Orion and follow that to the end and park up off the last roundabout. For GPS/multimap purposes, the address is:

North West Regional Distribution Centre
Orion Boulevard
Via Omega Boulevard
Great Sankey
WARRINGTON
WA5 3XA

If you see a red Picasso, say hi (don't be put off by the big brown manic dog - he was a stray on the streets of Ireland and still gets nervous sometimes, so may bark a lot if your dog is off the lead).

 

[Bushwhacker]

I know that blue Tits will build several nests before they choose which is best. Maybe Coal Tits are the same.

 

[Aaron]

In terms of letting nature take its course, I would agree entirely if this were a natural situation, but what exactly is natural about a tubular steel gate and the tractor/JCB that uses it? I did consider that the nest might survive the experience anyway, but upon examining the gate, the bolt is attached to an extremely long shaft which slides up and down the interior of the frame and the nest would have to be a considerable distance along the length of the frame in order not to be in the way of this shaft. I doubt the breeding pair are willing to hike quite that far down a long, dark tunnel.

You seem to have made up your mind anyway then

 

[Atellus]

You seem to have made up your mind anyway then

Actually, no. I was posing the question of how relevant the 'let nature take its course' philosophy can be in these situations. I have yet to make up my mind either way.

Bushwhacker's point about multiple nests is very interesting and if true, may mean that 'nature's course' is in fact the best route, after all.

 

[Prawnster]

Thanks for the info on the site. If you see a bald thirty something with a very cowardly English bulldog, say hi.

 

[JonathanD]

I say save them from getting squished. I've saved many a baby bird from the middle of the road. Letting nature take its course is fine when only nature is involved, a human saving an animal from a human inflicted squishing is something else.

 

[jackcbr]

If you know who owns the land the gate leads too, try them first. They might be able to act on your behalf or even tell you who owns the land on the other side. Worst case, pop a sign on the gate explaining.