Mowing the lawn in spring can feel like a never-ending chore that takes up so much of your time, and it can sometimes harm your local bird population if you are not careful. Birds begin to nest in the UK in late March, and it is really common for them to settle in gardens if there is a bird feeder nearby or lots of plants, which provide an easy food source.
The experts at Food for Birds are asking gardeners to change the blade setting on their mowers and leave the grass slightly longer to help young birds survive in spring. They said: “Cutting your grass too short can cause more harm than good during nesting season. By keeping your mower blades higher, you give birds and fledglings a bit more cover. It’s also better for the grass and helps prevent it from drying out too quickly.”
Many young birds like to burrow in long grass when they first leave the nest, and frequent mowing can destroy their shelters or even harm them.
Cutting the grass in early spring can also destroy insects and wildflowers, which young birds often rely on as their food source when they are learning to forage.
Birds such as blackbirds, thrushes, wrens, and sometimes robins often nest close to the ground in low bushes, bramble, or hedges.
The noise of a lawnmower can also stress birds, disrupting breeding or causing parents to temporarily abandon nests, leaving chicks vulnerable to predators like cats.
If you want to help out your local wildlife in spring, then it is highly recommended to mow less, or even leave it until late spring if you do not mind letting the grass grow.
Even if you want to continue mowing, just taking a few seconds to slowly walk around your lawn and inspect the grass and inspect it before mowing can greatly help birds out in spring.
It will also really benefit birds if you leave just a small patch of grass long, or even mow only parts of the lawn weekly, instead of mowing the whole garden during the nesting season.
The expert said: “Try not to mow the whole lawn every time. If possible, leave parts of it longer during the nesting season. You could mow one half one week and the other half the next. This gives birds the chance to move on safely without compromising the lawn’s appearance.”
However, it should be noted that if you do find a nest in your lawn or anywhere else in your garden, then it is illegal to disturb them under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.
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