Garden and urban birds

​​Why they are protected

Jersey has a wide range of habitats and bird species. It’s also close to France and provides an important stopover or resting place for spring and autumn migrating birds.

Numbers of most bird species are in a decline, even those which we consider to be common.

In Jersey, most wild bird species are protected under the law, except:

• carrion crows
• magpies
• feral pigeons
• wood pigeons

Protection includes birds’ nests and eggs.

Wildlife (Jersey) Law 2021 guidance

Jersey Birds

Habitat

Even small areas of greenspace in urban areas are important for birds:

• blue tits and great tits will adopt nest boxes in areas where there are few natural holes suitable for nesting
• barn swallows can be found nesting in outbuildings. They can enter a building through open doorways or windows which should be kept open for the duration of their nesting
• house martins nest on the outside of buildings, making their own mud nests high up under the eaves
• herring gulls may nest on top of a roof
  

The shape of a bird’s beak can often tell you what they feed on. If the beak is quite stocky, such as a sparrow’s, it will feed on seeds. If the beak is more delicate, such as a robin’s, it will feed on invertebrates.

Threats and decline

There are many direct and indirect threats that species of garden and urban bird are facing.

Birds meet some of those threats during their migration journey but many threats are found on Island. They include:

• lack of food
• loss of habitat
• disturbance
• disease

Disturbance

As space is limited in Jersey it can be difficult for birds to find a suitable quiet place to nest and raise their young. Even low level disturbance can cause birds to abandon the nest which will reduce the breeding success of that species as a whole.

Loss of nesting opportunity

Whether this is inside a building or in a garden, it can be through the loss of habitat to development in one form or another.

Loss of food

Birds feeding on insects can face difficulties from the recent decreases in pollinators and insects. This can be through climate impact or the use of herbicides in gardens.

Conservation efforts

To protect our garden and urban birds, we:

• monitor any new builds or renovations and consider improvements to provide nesting opportunities for birds
  
• improve the ecological condition of our countryside to provide a welcoming home for birds. This includes planting and managing woodland, hedgerow planting and other habitat restoration works​
• provide guidance on how to minimise disturbance to our protected bird species, their breeding and resting sites
  

Guidance on disturbance, breeding sites and resting sites of birds​

How you can help

​Report your wildlife sightings

Reporting your wildlife sightings helps us understand our species, supports our research and informs decision-making.

Report your wildlife sightings

Building and maintenance works

Birds nesting or roosting on your property should not stop you from maintaining or improving it. However, if you’re aware of active nests, you should not do any building works near the nests during the breeding season. This is generally between March and September.

Some wild bird species have additional protection under the law, including barn swallows and house martins​. Their nests are protected all year round and not only during the breeding season.

If you discover a nest during your renovations, stop the work and contact the Land Resource Management.

Biodiversity guidance for planning applications and developments

Gardening maintenance

It can be more difficult to spot nesting birds in trees and hedges. To avoid harming them and breaking the law, you should only do some works outside the breeding season such as:

• pruning
  
• felling
  
• trimming
  

If you have to carry out work during the breeding season, you should wait until the young leave the nest. Some birds may have more than 1 offspring, carefully check the nest is not occupied before doing the works.

Encouraging nesting birds

You can help protect our garden and urban birds by providing suitable nesting sites and feeding opportunities.

Birds often nest in roofs. You should allow them access to nest if you can. They rarely cause damage.

You can also provide nest boxes for:

• sparrows
• swallows
• house martins
  

These can be integrated into your property and wall or treemounted. You can add ledges underneath nests to catch droppings.

Bird feeders and water bowls can help birds through droughts and storms. Keep both clean to avoid the spread of disease.

Try not to use herbicides in the garden. They create long-term negative impacts on our pollinators and garden birds.

Helping birds near you on RSPB​​