Woman fined after smashing Swallow's nest

Eileen Spencer of Colchester, Essex, has been ordered to pay costs of £515 and given a conditional discharge after she pleaded guilty to intentionally destroying a Swallow’s nest and leaving three nestlings to die; she was prosecuted under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

She climbed a ladder and used a metal pole to smash the nest outside her home on 10 June. The Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard how three nestling Swallows were later found on the ground next to the nest on her driveway. When they were found they were very cold and later died.

“It was shocking to find a nest destroyed in this way,” said RSPCA Inspector Caroline Richardson. “This is the first case that I have come across of this nature. It’s horrifying someone would want to cause harm to baby birds in this cruel way. These nestlings were so tiny and fragile they didn’t even have their eyes open. They should be protected not harmed.”

She added: “This sentence sends out a clear message that wildlife crimes are taken seriously, and that all wild birds and their nests that are in use or being built are protected.”
 

The nestlings were tiny, just a few centimetres long. None survived their ordeal.
Photo courtesy of www.rspca.org.uk.