The bird nesting season runs from the 1st March to the 31st September in Ireland. The cutting of trees, bushes and hedgerows is restricted during this period and care should be taken to ensure that any such activities do not result in an offence being committed under the Wildlife Act (1976) or the Wildlife Amendment Act (2000).
The Irish Bird Nesting Season is defined in Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 and Section 46 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 as the period between 1st March and 31st August. This legislation states that:
"(a). It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated
and:
(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection"
There are however many exemptions provided within this legislation that allow for the undertaking of various activities including agriculture, forestry, construction, road infrastructure, public projects and health and safety.
Whilst many activities are exempted from this legislation, adherence where possible is considered best practice and is often conditioned in the grant of planning permission. It is advisable to ensure that any activities that involve the cutting of vegetation during this period are exempt from the above legislation and have not been subject to any conditions which require that it is adhered to as best practice.