Donal Hickey: House 'shares' with jackdaws, bats and owls
Newton Helping Boxes Barn Owl Survival Paul Are Picture: Nest
An old lady of our acquaintance was once plagued by jackdaws nesting in her chimney. She decided the only solution was to smoke out the invaders.
But that ploy didn’t work. For, the chimney was blocked by twigs and other imported materials, which the turf smoke couldn’t penetrate, and her house was filled with smoke.
What’s more, the clever jackdaws probably found added comfort from the fire beneath them and wouldn’t leave. Eventually, she called in a chimney sweep and a tradesman then fitted some device to try to stop the birds from nesting.
The memory of the lady has been recalled by a new nature video to celebrate wildlife which take up residence in buildings of many kinds, and to showcase the need for such buildings for the survival of certain species.
For as long as people have lived in buildings, so have many birds: the aptly-named house martin and barn owl, for instance. However, with extensive retrofitting to save energy and tackle climate change, we are losing many of our old, stone structures.
The Birdwatch video highlights the importance of buildings for wildlife and explains how our built environment and natural heritage are interlinked.
“The diversity of species which use buildings and the ways in which they have adapted to use the built environment are astonishing," says John Lusby, of Birdwatch.
Wildlife in buildings can be harmed when work is going on, often due to a lack of awareness of their presence or knowledge of how to plan renovations and works to avoid disturbance, which is almost always possible.
The loss of venerable stone structures is linked to declines in species such as barn owl and swift, which are dependent on these structures. Modern buildings do not provide the same opportunities for wildlife.
Mind you, much can be done to improve these buildings so as to ensure that we continue to make space for nature. Nest boxes are an obvious way to go: they generally work very well and are surely helping barn owl survival.
Bats roost in buildings and are sometimes found in the attics of people’s homes. As a protected species, it’s illegal to harm bats and people seeking to have them removed should consult a local wildlife ranger.
Back to jackdaws. Most chimneys, in inhabited houses at least, are now jackdaw-proofed, with cowls, spikes and other gadgets. No matter. Jackdaws always find other ways, thank you very much.
Highly adaptable when it comes to nesting, they can use holes in trees or move into nest boxes. Like all the crow family, they’re regarded as being among the most intelligent birds, equally at home in urban and rural settings and they are doughty survivors.