When to cut down bushes

[zaffa]

Hi
We have. Huge hedge next door that needs to be cut back, and at the same time we are looking to remove some hedging plants from our own garden, and cut back some others. (And cut down and poison two sycamore trees that won't stop coming back).

The local tree surgeon has said he can come and do it in July, but I'm a bit worried about birds. Although it's at the front of the house and right on the road, we have loads of birds in the summer usually, and im worried about disturbing them. I know nesting season should be over, but will the birds still be using their nests for their families, or do the birds usually go off on their own by then?

I know I should know, but we've lived here for only a few years and im not used to so much garden maintenance - it seems endless (hence we are taking out some of the hedging plants altogether to reduce maintenance). But I really don't want to disturb the birds - it's not urgent work so it could wait (and we could put up with the horrible messy front for another year).

Does anyone know when it's best to do this sort of thing? The huge hedge won't disturb the birds as I've not seen any in it, but the cutting back of some of the other bits will and I think taking out the hedge will because it's right next to where I've seen them nest.

The relevant law is the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Unfortunately it's a bit woolly so a convention has grown up:
Best not to cut between 1st March and 31st July (some even say 31st Aug)
If you do cut between those dates do it manually, not mechanically
If you do cut, check THOROUGHLY beforehand for nesting birds.

A reference here

Birds will still be nesting in July. Many have multiple clutches during nesting season. I have fledglings in my garden from the end of April until late August/early September. You could take out some hedges before March to avoid them being used for nesting. It’s good of you to think about the safety of it because there are many who wouldn’t and birds need all the help they can get with spaces for nesting.

Thanks.
I think there's no availability before March.
I think we should do it later - probably after August which is a pain as my husband is off over the summer and we have to poison the stumps of the sycamore ourselves so he could have paid lots of attention to this chore. But less of a pain to us than it would be to any birds we disturbed.

Do you think September would be enough time, or should we wait until October?

Just thinking if September is warm, there may still be birds out? Or other wildlife I suppose, they are going to take out all the ivy too and cut some back to the ground so we can clear it and cover it over completely.

Most birds will have fledged. Obviously still check for nests.

www.gov.uk/guidance/countryside-hedgerows-regulation-and-management

"A hedgerow is not protected if it’s in, or marks the boundary of, a private garden"

I choose to do maintenance/cutting etc during winter though (my hedges/trees were all planted to attract wildlife)

"A hedgerow is not protected if it’s in, or marks the boundary of, a private garden"
I hope OP goes to the original source and realises that that quotation is talking about protection from total removal (not mere trimming) and that it also says "you must not do any work which might harm nesting birds or destroy their nests".(my italics)

oops. My underlining, not 'italics'.

Thanks all

I'm not too concerned about the legalities (as in I'm not concerned if legally I can remove a hedging plant, I absolutely wouldn't have it done if there was a nest with eggs / babies in it) I'm more concerned about the impact to the birds as I know very little about them and I don't know how long they use their nests for once the babies hatch.
Whilst the July timescale is convenient for me, I want to make sure it won't do any harm (or as little harm as possible, I'm sure it will still impact local wildlife to remove any bushes or trees) as the inconvenience of waiting a bit longer can be managed.
We do have quite a lot of birds out there (which is a massive surprise as it's not a quiet road) and I've enjoyed watching them over the previous couple of years.