Housemartin nest destroyed

[smokenfluff]

A friend of mine had a Housemartin nest just above his neighbours porch light - about 6ft off the ground. The parents built it this year and have raised a pair of chicks. however it has been a few days now since i saw the chicks or the parents. I know that Housemartins fledge at about 3 weeks of age. My worry is that today i noticed the nest had been removed and waste matter on the floor had been cleaned away. Housemartin nests remain active until September time before they migrate back to Africa. Housematins usually have two or three broods per season. These pair of Hosemartins would have had time for another brood at least before leaving. I am aware it is illegal to disturb the nest while active but is it considered active even if there were no chicks in it?
I wont convey how angry i'm feeling - I'm blooming furious! Surely the occupiers of the flat should have waited until September before removing the nest!

[rossy]

yes your right, the nest should not have been touched, as they can have up to 3 broods ,these birds travel thousands of miles to breed here, but it looks like the folk in the flat, havent got any idea, about that, or they dont like the mess, what id give to have them nest on my house, lovely little birds.and they are declining in this country. rossy.

[RKB]

Originally Posted by smokenfluff

I am aware it is illegal to disturb the nest while active but is it considered active even if there were no chicks in it?

It is not illegal to "disturb" a House Martin nest (this is only for schedule 1 species).

It is illegal to remove or destroy it, whilst it is being built or is in use.

The key words here are "in use". This effectively means if it has eggs or chicks in it.

Your neighbours might have waited til the chicks fledged, then removed it straight away, which is not illegal. But if they didn't check, and there happened to be live eggs or young, then it was illegal. In either case, if they plead ignorance then there is nothing anyone can do ("I thought it wasn't in use, M'lud").

People have only been prosecuted when they have removed nests that have very obviously had young in them, being fed and poking their heads out.

[werdnal]

Its probably ignorance by the neighbours of the fact that they have more than one brood. They may have waited for the first lot to fledge, then assume that was it.

I am so surprised at the ignorance of some people, but I guess we all have to learn somewhere. I work in a school, and there is a wagtail whose brood has just hatched, nesting in one of the playgrounds. All the staff have been made aware, and are keeping the children away, other than quick glance every now and then, but a member of the kitchen staff asked today whether they should put some bread out for them!

[RKB]

To be fair, having a nest of House Martins on your porch is not going to be much fun. Presumably the route into the front door is a nasty mess, with droppings being trodden in and maybe getting slippy. I think the public should be met halfway wherever possible - it's not fair to expect them to put up with another 2 broods all summer. If they've let them have one, then removed the nest, then fair enough. The martins can build somewhere more convenient for all.

[waning10]

Originally Posted by rossy

yes your right, the nest should not have been touched, as they can have up to 3 broods ,these birds travel thousands of miles to breed here, but it looks like the folk in the flat, havent got any idea, about that, or they dont like the mess, what id give to have them nest on my house, lovely little birds.and they are declining in this country. rossy.

Hi All,
Last year we had a pair of housemartins nest in an old starlings nest in our loft, they raised 5 lovely babies. This year they returned, laid 5 eggs, however the other day I saw pieces of egg on the patio below the nest and on closer inspection found 5 newly hatched babies. They were all just below the nest. Can anyone please shed any light on this sad event. The parents have come back to the nest by the way.