Hedgerows are a haven for nesting birds — and are protected during nesting season

Legal restrictions on cutting hedgerows between March and August 31 are to protect bird life during the nesting season, and to protect vegetation and wildlife habitats during the months of growth and reproduction

Hedgerows are coming into bloom and are a haven for many nesting birds. Picture: Chris White / Alamy

Hard to believe — given all the changes and destruction to the Irish landscape in recent decades — but the country has almost 700,000 kilometres of hedgerows, according to Teagasc.

Around now, hedgerows are coming into bloom and are a haven for many nesting birds. From the days when country children walked to school, we remember peering into roadside hedges in spring and early summer and looking for nests which each one would protect and claim as their own.