Preventing a Rookery Developing

[Hobjob]

My sister has a lovely house in the Surrey countryside and for the
last few weeks the American oaks about 30 metres from her house
have become a pre-roost roost for a large number of rooks.
They swirl around, make a great deal of noise, then push off.

No problem there.

She has now returned from holiday to find one of the said oaks has
one, and so far only one, rook nest with double occupancy.

She does not want a rookery that close ...............

Suggestions please

Current suggestion is a 12 bore - am I right in thinking
that shooting rooks is still legal, but not on a nest ??

[dragonfly]

if its only one nest it may not be a rook as they nest in colonies it may well be a crow if its only one

[Crowman]

It's all part of living in the countryside.

[Dan Salter]

Not the best place to come and get advice on PREVENTING something naturally occuring in the countryside?? and certainly not by 12 bore (although they may well be legal quarry im not sure)

As already said..a rookery or any nesting birds is all part of living in the countryside and i would love to have such a thing on my doorstep to add to all the other wonderful noises in our countryside.

The ONLY thing that you should be getting rid of in my book are the NON NATIVE ( non natural to UK) American Oaks !

[ron1863]

What's wrong with a rookery? Doesn't she like birds?

[Paul mabbott]

As I recall, it is illegal to shoot most birds (including those considered 'pests' or 'food' by some humans and farmers) unless alternative methods have been attempted to get them to move on:
Gun law: don't shoot first, shout - Times Online

I suppose that some people don't like them making a noise in the mornings/evenings? Otherwise I see no problem with a rookery - I find them entertaining. What people around here do is wait until after the nesting season and then chop the trees down .... which I think is appalling on more than one front!

[Dan Salter]

Yes the tree felling option is clearly not the answer Paul i agree!

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by Crowman

It's all part of living in the countryside.

Exactly! I love rooks, they have oodles more character than the carrion crow. Tell her she should feel honoured and chill out and enjoy them.

Regards, Chris

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

.....Current suggestion is a 12 bore - am I right in thinking that shooting rooks is still legal, but not on a nest ??

No, not exactly - here's an extract from the FAQs part of the Licensing section of Natural England's website which I believe answers your question -

"Rooks
Q. There is a rookery nearby which is making a mess and lots of noise, is there anything I can do?

A. Under the authority of General Licence WLM-Gen-L07, it is permitted to destroy the nests, eggs, chicks and/or adult rooks providing the persons carrying out such actions are doing so in order to protect public health or public safety. The person carrying out the action must be satisfied that they are acting within the provisions of the general licence and therefore the law. If noise and cosmetic mess or damage to property are the major issues causing a ‘nuisance’, this is not covered by the General Licence and no action against the birds is permitted. If you require further advice you can contact the Wildlife Licensing Unit on 0845 601 4523 or email: wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk."

In short, sorry Hobjob but your sister must leave them alone!

Jeff

[Kayleigh]

Tell her to move house possibly next to a dirty great wind farm, Or new housing estate or some other hideous place..And leave the rooks/crows alone.