Away with the Birds? Tree Removal with a Minimal Impact on the Local Bird Population
It's not always the interior of your home that might be a candidate for renovations. When you decide to give your garden a makeover, there are all sorts of compromises that need to be made. Are your plans achievable on your budget? Will the changes affect the useable area in your garden? Will your plans drastically (and perhaps adversely) alter the look of your garden? One key way in which the look of your garden can rapidly and drastically change is when you decide to remove trees. Sometimes this is a necessity, such as when an unwell or too large of a tree poses a threat of toppling. Of course, sometimes it's an aesthetic choice. While it's not as though you can liaise with the creatures with whom you share your garden, you might want to be rather selective with your trees if a reasonable percentage of the local bird population calls your backyard home.
Permission
Before getting started, you should have a word with your local council to check that the trees in question aren't under a preservation order (which can still occur when a tree is located on private property). There are many contributing factors to such an order, but it generally pertains to the type of tree, its age and height and sometimes the size of its canopy.
Nesting Sites
The prevalence of any obvious nesting sites might affect your decision as to just which trees will go, or you might change your plans with regards to an outright removal. Any trees with hollows (which are a valuable nesting site) could be left intact, or they could be cropped to the extent where the hollow in question is left intact.
Nesting Alternatives
When tree felling is deemed necessary and you still want to ensure that the local birds will visit your backyard, offer them an alternative. When a tree has been removed, install nesting boxes in neighbouring trees. Make sure they're high enough to offer protection from any ground-based predators.
Feeding Alternatives
You also need to consider that any removed trees might have been a food source for the local bird population, and again, it can be helpful to offer them an alternative. Rainbow lorikeets and other parrots derive nectar from trees in the pittosporum and grevillea families. These can be planted in shrub form, already at their full height and in flower.
So while you can't actually discuss your plans with the local bird population, they're going to be grateful that you took their needs into consideration.
Share