Although we often do not realize this, blocks and tenements are often a home for birds. What buildings can they live in? – Almost all. In 99 percent of buildings in cities there are habitats of birds or bats, and sometimes both – tells us Renata Markowska from the bird patrol of the Noga Foundation in Łapa.
Expansion joints (gaps in the building structure) and defects in the facade, e.g. under window sills, at balconies or behind the gutters and trigger pipes, ventilation holes, roof elements, flat roofs – they can all be places to live for spurrows, mazurkas, ashmis, ashes, starlings, pykorek, jaws, emptuins, pigeons and other birds.
In the landscape, animals have more and more appropriated by people to use the buildings and elements of urban infrastructure for their needs. For some species they are even necessary for life, constituting the only places of reproduction and shelter. And by our inattention or intentional actions, we can destroy these places. This is not only harmful to nature, but also illegal.
Bird habitats are easy to destroy
All bats and almost all birds that live in our cities are strictly protected species. This means that they must not be killed, caught, detained, moved, scared during breeding, destroy their nests, habitats and breeding. And such effects – explains Markowska – may have any work performed on buildings, even the most inconspicuous ones. Partial protection, however, does not mean consent to these activities.
One of our last interventions concerned a building in Warsaw's Białołęka. From the resident I received a notification that the company rented by the cooperative supplemented the missing and damaged grilles in the flat roof, which has been a habitat of birds for years. When I arrived, sparrows came to the closed holes, which could already have eggs or chicks in the nests. The case ended well – thanks to the support of the employee of the Białołęka District Office, new grilles were quickly dismantled and the birds were allowed to access the nests.
However, the establishment of grilles in this case (at the time of breeding, without the RDOŚ permit) should not occur at all. To protect animals and not break the law, owners, communities, investors, as well as work contractors should follow several key principles – from obtaining ornithological expertise (applies to bird habitats) and chiropterological (applies to bats habitats).
Expertise before renovation
Animals can be threatened by thermomodernization or serious renovation, but also the replacement of flashings, windows, roofing, or supplementing damaged shields on ventilation holes, supplementing defects, and even cleaning the facade.
When planning such work, ornithological and chiropterological expertise should be commissioned. – We need to know how many and some winged tenants live in a building, where their “apartments” are hidden – says Markowska. It is best to do this one year in advance, in the spring and summer, when the animals are the most active. It should be remembered that in winter bats fall into hibernation and then detecting their presence in the building is extremely difficult even for an experienced specialist. Such expertise and permits of the environmental protection authority are needed regardless of the season in which we want to do work, at the same time an additional control of the situation should be made immediately before their commencement, emphasizes the expert.
If the expertise shows the presence of birds and/or bats – and this is the case in the vast majority of cases – please ask the Regional Director for Environmental Protection for permission to deviate from prohibitions against protected species.
RDOŚ issues a decision that determines when you can work and how to work. You will need natural supervision during them and natural compensation after their completion.
Nest and habitat
Markowska draws attention to a very important difference between the nest and the habitat. The first are material applied by animals, such as twigs, leaves, hair or materials of anthropogenic origin such as scraps of material, foil, strings, threads, etc. The habitat can be any place where the nest is located, but also those that only serve as shelter – a fabric in the facade, a window niche, a base hole, ceiling hole and other fragments buildings.
Why is the difference important? Because from October 16 to the end of February, you can remove the nests from the building or breeding box without the RDOŚ permit, if it is required by safety or sanitary considerations. On the other hand, the destruction of the habitat – e.g. covering the flat roof ventilation holes, photo of the booth, sealing cavities in the facade, or replacement of the roof covering or flashings – requires RDOŚ consent, regardless of the season.
Lack of proper behavior can lead not only to permanent destruction of animal habitats, but also to cause them direct harm.
The most tragic stories for them are those when they are closed in the habitat, e.g. by rooting the flat roof or filling the defects in the facade. We condemn them in this way to a cruel hunger death
– says Markowska. That is why natural supervision over work is so important.
Correctly conducting the entire process will protect animals (e.g. by securing habitats within the date indicated by RDOŚ) and provide them with new, safe places to live in the form of breeding boxes for birds and shelters for bats. At the same time, investors and contractors will be sure that the work will not be suspended by the Poviat Building Supervision Inspector, who is required to suspend them when they can threaten the environment, and thus also birds and bats.
Who for expertise?
Why are the provisions on bird protection often not in practice properly used? A member of the bird patrol sees a number of system problems, from the lack of awareness of the presence of winged neighbors and protecting their provisions. We need extensive education – residents, officials, administrators, owners and employees of construction companies.
As he notes, however, there is no obligation indicated directly in the regulations to perform natural expertise before the work – and this is a basic error that generates many later problems – he says and adds: – But since the Act requires the protection of these animals, prohibiting numerous actions that may harm them, then exhausting information about the principles of proceedings should be on the websites and in the documents of all entities involved in investment processes. For example, the official faculties of architecture and construction and construction supervision inspectorates, forms and construction decisions.
In her opinion, issues should be regulated who can perform such expertise, when and how they should look, because “in this case even scientific titles do not guarantee reliability”. – They must be specialists with knowledge and experience in detecting animal habitats in an urban environment. It is best to ask for such people to social organizations protecting birds and bats – advises and adds:
But even the most professional expertise will do nothing if it is hidden in the drawer and the construction team will not even see it. Only meticulous compliance with the recommendations contained in the expertise can guarantee that work will not be suspended due to animal threats.
– Birds sharing the space of the building with us are the only wild animals that we can observe every day and enjoy their closeness. They are an important element of the urban ecosystem and, like bats, the most effective and completely safely regulate insect populations – says Markowska and adds: – We should make every effort to remain our neighbors, first of all ensure that safe breeding places and biodiversity areas of green. A bird apartment on every wall!