House renovation vs bird

[Tweetybye]

Currently doing building work, and just discovered a starling nesting on the wall due to be knocked through. Builder says he’d take care of it. Implying he’d move to neighbouring tree and let them ‘sink or swim’.

Technically illegal but cant say I’m too bothered given the number of rabbits, pheasants hit with the car, ant nests and other bugs destroyed over the years.

Curious to how many people would actually stop building work for months, delay kitchen, window, door installations, delay electrician/plumbers on a whim all down to a single bird? Shedding any moral postulating I’m curious to what people would actually do in this situation if it was them.

YABU: stop work immediately
YANBU: what bird? Leave the builder be

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/birds-nests-and-nestboxes/birds-in-the-roof
If you find an active birds’ nest in your home, it’s illegal to remove it. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it’s an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy any active wild bird's nest in the UK.
Instead, you must allow the chicks to leave the nest before taking any action to remove a nest or block an entrance to it.
Don't start building work on your home if you know birds are nesting, and if you do discover a nest during construction, it is best to leave it alone where possible. If construction work can’t be paused until the young have flown the nest, contact Natural England/Nature Scot/Natural Resources Wales/Daera for advice.

What are you hoping to get from this post?
people agreeing it’s ok to disregard wildlife if it gets in the way of what they want to do?
or praising your moralless builder for not holding up your precious work?

I’d be leaving it to the builder, not a chance I’d be delaying.

Starlings take about 5 weeks to fully fledge so it’s not going to be ‘months’.

You’d be the first person in history that had a building project that ran absolutely to clockwork, and personally, I wouldn’t have much confidence in a builder that is prepared to blatantly break the law.

I would assume your builder offering to “take care of it” just means chucking the nest away. There is no point relocating the nest.

Why not discuss what work he could be getting on with- it may be that there are other things he could do over the next month or so.

Surprised he mentioned it at all actually.

Can’t you do some other stuff for a few weeks until they fledge? It’s not going to be that long.

No, I couldn't live with the nest being tampered with. I agree with the others - it won't be long to wait. Find something else to do in the meantime. I'd want to find a new builder too. He doesn't sound very nice. (Not saying that would be an easy decision, but I'd want to!).

Starlings are one of the fastest-declining birds in the UK and are on the Red List for birds of high conservation concern. It is illegal to move their nests when they are being used and can lead to a jail sentence or unlimited fine. Could you contact the RSPB for advice? As others have said, starlings fledge quite quickly so to leave the nest alone would not be a long delay

This. The OP‘s attitude is making me feel sick.

your username made me laugh OP

Yup.

I would sack the builder.

Really you feel sick? People are more than happy to vilify Seagulls, pigeons in towns and cities when all they’re trying to do is feed and survive. Yet the thought of moving a single birds nest suddenly they morph into animal rights activists 😂

I’m just consistent with my view of birds. Tend to ignore, not feed or encourage etc. Hardly going to lose sleep if I look the other way.

Window/doors are arriving in a week to make weather proof. Kitchen and flooring arriving soon after. Any request for delay will incur charges.

The post was more to gauge how many people would genuinely delay. It’s pretty common for MNetters to tell OP to do one thing but when faced with the same situation they probably wouldn’t practice what they preach.

😂

should change your name to pearlstillclutching.

I would delay - despite your attitude you seem to be missing the point that it’s illegal.

And the chances of getting caught are zero.

I’d be wondering whether the builder was equally relaxed about any building regs that might slow his work down.

It’s pretty common for MNetters to tell OP to do one thing but when faced with the same situation they probably wouldn’t practice what they preach.

Of course. But not sure what the point of asking for views is. Suspect a lot of people who would remove the nest aren’t posting because they can’t be arsed with getting negative replies over a situation which is, for them, purely theoretical.

We’ve lost / spent / delayed works for less than this. Your builder sounds really dodgy, by the way.

I would genuinely delay the work. I suspect I'm in the minority though.

Exactly. Unless a nosey neighbour is videoing you, which in my case is impossible due to no neighbour overlooking the area in question.

This illegal activity is probably in the same bracket as those not paying their tv licence.

I am an interior architect and i would absolutely stop the works, contact a charity/specialist in birds relocation and ask them to advise.
very annoying I agree but I would have to have their advise before I ll decide what to do.

a client of mine had to delay their work by a full season because we found an empty bat nest. We needes them to come back before moving the nest otherwise they would be lost.

do the right thing. It s in moment like that that we can make a difference to the world
we will leave our children and grand children with.

Your builder sounds like a cunt.

It’s obvious from the OPs posts that she will have the nest destroyed - the nest of birds on the Red List.
We should stop engaging - it’s just rage bait.