Is it illegal to knock down a house martins nest?
Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to remove or destroy the nests – house martins are protected by law and it’s an offence to intentionally kill or injure them, or to take, damage or destroy their eggs, their young or their nests. If you do, you could be sent to prison for 6 months.
Are house martin nests protected?
House martins are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to kill, injure or take an adult bird, or to take, damage or destroy the eggs, young or nest of a house martin whilst it is being built or in use.
Do sparrows take over house martin nests?
House sparrows will take over house martin nests, either taking up residence before the house martins return or by forcefully evicting them from a newly built nest. Sometimes this will result in them attacking the eggs and young of house martins, and even harassing the adults.
What Attacks house martin nests?
Sparrows
Sparrows attack House Martin nest.
Where do Housemartins sleep at night?
When they have a nest, house martins sleep in it, but it’s still not known whether they sleep on the wing for the rest of the year. Up to 11 house martins have been found to sleep in a single nest – both adult birds and their first and second brood of young.
How do I get rid of Martin birds?
Drape the area the nest was in with bird-proof mesh netting or 1-inch chicken wire. Smooth out any wrinkles and secure the edges with heavy-duty staples or small nails. Wrap aluminum foil around any areas where martins are not wanted. When the sunlight strikes the foil, the resulting flash will scare away the martins.
Where are the House Martins 2021?
Lorienne Whittle, 07/05/2021 House martins, sand martins, swallows and swifts all migrate back to the UK after overwintering in Africa.
Do House Martins cause damage?
House martins droppings can be a problem, especially from a nest over a door or window. House martins may have a number of parasites such as feather mites or flat flies, in most cases harmless to them. These parasites do not affect people.
Do House Martins steal nests?
House martins will return from their African wintering grounds to the same nesting sites each year. They can reuse their old nests, saving them about ten days’ work collecting mud.
Are martins protected?
Martins are a protected species under the Federal Migratory Bird-Treaty Act, thus it is illegal to harm the birds, their nests or any other part of their habitat.
How do you keep house martins from nesting on your house?
The simplest way to overcome this is to fix a shelf about 250 mm wide about two metres below the nest to catch droppings. Use key-hole brackets so you can remove the shelf for cleaning. House martins may have a number of parasites such as feather mites or flat flies, in most cases harmless to them.
How to prevent house martins from nesting?
For anybody wanting to know how to prevent House Martins from nesting, we must first point out that these and similar birds are protected by law. Knocking down an active nest or preventing birds access to their eggs or young is illegal and attracts potentially high penalties.
Is it illegal to kill house martins?
This will catch most of the barrage from above! Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to remove or destroy the nests – house martins are protected by law and it’s an offence to intentionally kill or injure them, or to take, damage or destroy their eggs, their young or their nests. If you do, you could be sent to prison for 6 months.
What are the dimensions of the house martin nests?
The House Martin Nests are available in single units, with either a right-hand or left-hand entrance or as a double unit with two nests side by side. * Single Nests – dimensions (H) 115 x (W) 200 x (D) 160mm, weight: 900g * Double Nests – dimensions (H) 115 x (W) 380 x (D) 160mm, weight 1.8kg.
When do house martins breed in the UK?
House martins arrive in Britain in April and May and breed under the eaves of houses and buildings in nests made of mud and lined with feathers. They prefer to re-use old nests but will spend up to ten days making a new nest if none is available.