Stranded Birds

[joseph holly]

Stranded Birds

On Friday a number of trees were pollarded on Barry Road. As a result of this two young birds (wood pigeons, I think) have been left in a nest perched precariously on a branch in a tree with no leaves at all. There has been no sign of parent birds. Tree is outside 85/90 Barry Road. Does anyone have any suggestions about who could be called to try and rescue these birds before they are taken by crows or starve?

Thanks

[steveo]

Maybe the RSPB helicopter or sky nets fired from cannons?

[Jeremy]

Joseph - could you use a long ladder?

If the parents have left though, someone will have to hand rear them... are you volunteering?!

[rch]

Southwark's tree maintenance schedule is meant to take nesting birds into account. Can you do me a favour and call our Call Centre on 020 7525 2000 and report this and get a reference number? Request that a tree officer contacts you directly and reports what they are doing to save the birds... let us know what happens and I'll also follow it up, as well.

[The Minkey]

This appears to be the councinl tree surgeon's workaround: Leave the nest in place with no cover whatsoever. I saw similar in a pollarded tree on the road leading up from Brockley towards Shannon's Garden Centre.

[joseph holly]

PM sent to rch

[kristen]

Is the tree officer or anyone from Southwark likely to respond over the bank holiday?

They probably keep office hours so it will be Tuesday at the earliest when they get this message.

By which time if the birds have been abandoned it will be too late.

I've taken a baby pigeon - brought in by my cat and still alive to a rescue centre in Surrey.

The women has incubators and takes care of baby pigeons and injured birds.

If the nest is abandoned and someone can get it down I'm happy drive the birds to the rescue centre.

Or if someone else is able to drive them there the address 8 Vermont Road, Sutton, Surrey - there is an special box for the birds outside the door which you can leave them in if the woman who runs the centre is out.

[intexasatthe moment]

Some of the trees in Barry Rd have been left with practically no leaves - near 157 and junction of Barry and Goodrich .

Seems very harsh - are there any tree pollarding experts who could reassure that this is ok ?

[kristen]

I've just been down to have a look at the nest. One of the parent birds was sitting on it.

I spoke to a man who lived nearby and was doing his front garden who said that since the tree had been cut back he had seen the parent birds coming back so the nest hasn't been abandoned. So I think all is OK although the nest is very exposed which isn't ideal as the baby birds are at greater risk from predators.

It does seem a bit odd to cut the trees back in nesting season - I don't know if this is usual and if it is if there are some requirements around leaving trees with nesting birds in it.

[rch]

I got your PM Joseph and have intervened. I'm told that the RSPCA and the tree contractors are coming back. It's 1.18pm, I'm getting ready to go up there... can someone call me on 020 8613 6046 and let me know what's happening? I have a Plan B if Plan A doesn't work.

[intexasatthe moment]

Well done Robin .

[rch]

Well done to everyone who helped to rescue the babies - the Barry Road residents, the Emergency Duty Manager at the Call Centre, our Tree Manager whose Bank Holiday I ruined, and especially to the two tree maintenance contractors who came out and successfully retrieved the two birds.

The birds are being taken to a sanctuary as I type this, so hopefully they won't be too traumatised.

I've attached a photo, I hope it works.

Community Action Rocks, Yay! (as Monica would say)

Edited to add a slightly better photo of the nest with the birds.

[kristen]

I dropped the two birds off at the pigeon rescue place in Sutton and left a donation. The women who run the sanctuary think they will be fine and will text me when they are released.

If anyone wants to make a donation then I'm sure it would be very much appreciated. They're not allowed charitable status and funds as pigeons are considered vermin.

The details are on this page http://pigeonrecovery.yolasite.com/donations.php

[PeckhamRose]

This is a good EDF story happening. But what have the council to say for themselves for having let this happen?

Maybe someone could ask question at the next Commmunity Council.

Well done you lot!

[intexasatthe moment]

Do the trees really have to be pruned/pollarded so severely ?

I suppose they do ..... I know nothing about tree care .

[Jeremy]

Serious question, not meant as an attack on animal/bird lovers... would the council go to all this effort to rescue any young animal in danger? Foxes? Rats? Mice?

[joseph holly]

PM to Kiera and Kristen

[minder]

I also know nothing about pruning trees but rch's photos are quite shocking really. Looks like the tree cutters have just gone around the nest not even thinking to leave some foliage to protect the babies.

This happened when I was leaving to take my daughter to school one morning a couple of years ago.

Men from Southwark Council were cutting back a big bush (which I knew had nests in) on the other side of the fence to my back garden (in a park). I had been feeding the parents and asked the men to be careful etc.

When I came back from school (30 minutes later) the bush had been more or less obliterated and one baby bird was hopping about in my garden. I could hear the parent calling madly and I managed to go into a neighbours garden and place the baby in a spot for mum to find. I know there were other babies in that bush but don't know what happened to them.

I had a go at one of the men and think he felt a bit sorry afterwards!

[Marmora Man]

I find his all a tad over the top.

An Emergency Duty Manager at the Call Centre, a Tree Manager and two tree maintenance contractors + a local councillor's time, discussions with RSPCA all involved over a couple of pigeons - a species of bird that is not endangered and is usually seen as vermin scavenging bins and rubbish.

[rch]

Keep in mind that this incident didn't incur any extra costs as all of the personnel were on standard emergency cover anyway and I freely gave of my time off to help to address residents' concerns as well as investigating possible tree maintenance issues.

In my opinion, this was a specific situation created by the maintenance of the tree which may be relevant in other locations. In this time of budget cuts, we need to make sure that our assets are efficiently managed, as sometimes there can be false economies and performing a monitoring function is part of a councillors elected duty (which was part of the underlying reason I took the photos). There are discussions going on about whether severe pollarding is the best way to address regular tree maintenance and there are specific protocols about nesting birds and this situation illustrated both elements.

As I understand how the systems work, this was an easy situation for me to address, and there may actually be a useful outcome that will save us money in the future.

I should probably add that, in addition to planning, trees are another one of my passions and I work very closely with the tree department. As Peckham Rose has suggested, I definitely intend to ask them to attend a Dulwich Community Council meeting... we are in the process of launching a Tree Warden scheme to train interested residents in the basics of simple tree maintenance, which I am highly supportive of.

So, there is actually a bigger picture here.

[Eileen]

excellent and appropriate explanation. thank you.

***************************************************

rch Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Keep in mind that this incident didn't incur any

> extra costs as all of the personnel were on

> standard emergency cover anyway and I freely gave

> of my time off to help to address residents'

> concerns as well as investigating possible tree

> maintenance issues.

>

> In my opinion, this was a specific situation

> created by the maintenance of the tree which may

> be relevant in other locations. In this time of

> budget cuts, we need to make sure that our assets

> are efficiently managed, as sometimes there can be

> false economies and performing a monitoring

> function is part of a councillors elected duty

> (which was part of the underlying reason I took

> the photos). There are discussions going on about

> whether severe pollarding is the best way to

> address regular tree maintenance and there are

> specific protocols about nesting birds and this

> situation illustrated both elements.

>

> As I understand how the systems work, this was an

> easy situation for me to address, and there may

> actually be a useful outcome that will save us

> money in the future.

>

> I should probably add that, in addition to

> planning, trees are another one of my passions and

> I work very closely with the tree department. As

> Peckham Rose has suggested, I definitely intend to

> ask them to attend a Dulwich Community Council

> meeting... we are in the process of launching a

> Tree Warden scheme to train interested residents

> in the basics of simple tree maintenance, which I

> am highly supportive of.

>

> So, there is actually a bigger picture here.

[billybiro]

Am glad the birds are ok,and well done to all who helped. But i actually think a bit of a stewards is needed here-rch-as the councils tree people are a privately run company contracted by the council are they not? This company often,imo,carry out unnecessary work on trees,damaging them etc and it could be to just perpetuate their contract? Who monitors their work both before and after?

[rch]

Billybiro, yes, there are contractors, but they work to order. They are monitored by our tree officers... in the past year we have undergone an almost complete change of staff in our tree dept who are now reviewing our systems and getting to grips with a lot of issues that may have slipped under the radar over time.

I have a lot of faith in them and respect for what they are trying to do, which is why I'm happy to liaise with them and go out on a day off to look at issues.

We are lucky to have some amazing officers in Southwark, who are very dedicated.

Lastly, thanks for "getting" me, Eileen!

[bonniebird]

Nice of you to help them, how lovely

[steveo]

What MM said

Fer crissake