Over the last few weeks I have seen Goldcrest, Blue & Great Tits, Dunnock, Chiffchaff, Robin etc, either with beaks full of nesting material or insects.

The breeding season is upon us, especially for our resident birds.

With all this new life appearing, or about to, I was horrified to industrial scale hedge trimming in Westbrook, Warrington.

I know this area is not in GM, but it is not that far away.

The hedges being savagely trimmed by a tractor held cutter do not obstruct or border any road or pathway. they merely adjoin redundant farmland designated for development some time.

The bushes in question are mostly Hawthorne or Blackthorn, both now coming into full leaf and flower.

Surely this trimming should of been done earlier, before the birds had started to breed and the hedges came into flower?.

The hedges form a border between pockets of woodland, ditches and the former farmland.

Any developer would surely prefer to see the land bordered in hedges looking lush and full of white flowers, than stark bushes looking more like they were part of a battle scene than the countryside.

Is this just harsh economics, pure ignorance, or the view that all many people care about these days is staring into little electronic boxes?.