Aspen trees cut down with nesting birds in - legal?

Question

There were some very tall (3 times as high as a house at least) aspen trees near my house...until a few hours ago.
Yesterday there was an awful storm, and I heard a tree fall - but I don't think it was them, as they seemed to be fine and whole, but today some cranes and men with chainsaws came and chopped down all (about 8) tall trees for no apparent reason. I've heard that the area they're in was a little boggy, and one fell down about 20 years ago, but I cannot see any reason for the trees removal. 

They could be being pollarded, as some a large section of the stump remains, but the branches are removed.
They were a large part of our skyline, and it's sad to see them as mangled stumps, but the main reason my mother and I are worried is because we know that there are nests in those trees...or were. There is a chiffchaff family that likes to nest there every year, and a "yaffle" (woodpecker) nest, which is unusual round here. There may also be other small and unusual birds there, such as gold-crest or other woodpeckers, as they're often heard in that area, but not others.

So what I'm worried about, is the legality of chopping down a heavily nested tree in breeding season - I know game animals can't be hunted out of season, so why should nesting birds be disturbed at this time? As the tree removal seemed totally unnecessary, we worry for the state of these birds now.

Rat Catcher · Accepted Answer

Emma; I'm afraid ye'll probably find the team were sent by some 'government' body. Council, or what ever. I've found such to work on a very casual basis of 'one law for us, quite another for them' where this sort of thing is concerned.

 Eg. Here, in Co. Leitrim, we're not allowed to touch the hedgerows and so forth between two very specific dates. This is very deliberately aimed at protecting nesting birds. 

Reality? Bloody Council themselves ~ the same one who would skin a farmer alive for trimming a hedge out of season ~ send their own men out to hack and slash! To hell with the Whitethroats ....! And it's not always under the guise of 'Public Safety' either - like cutting back a hedge on a dodgy road bend. They'll do it purely for cosmetics too. " Tidy Towns Committee " stuff.

 Point of fact, we had the electricity board round here, just a week or so back. Guys going up and down trees like chain saw wielding monkeys. Absolute carnage! They came within six feet of wiping out a Goldcrest nest!

 All in the name of Public Safety though. See? Trees they butchered were encroaching on their over head power lines. *What? And they Weren't, back in January? Couldn't have sent ye hit squads out then?*

 Give me strength!

But, yeah. That's what'll have happened there. Who ye gonna call? See? B@stards.

Anonymous · Answer

it would only be illegal if the area was protected. If a landowner didn't have the trees cut then it is city or county who ordered it.

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Aspen trees cut down with nesting birds in - legal?

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