Birds can now rest in their nests

California Coastal Commissioners have barred a Huntington Harbour homeowners association from cutting or trimming any trees in the area that are home to great blue herons and egrets.

In a Nov. 15 ruling, the commission required the Tennis Estates Homeowners Assn. to cease any development that would harm heron and egret nesting or roosting areas.

The homeowners association was also ordered to plant three pine trees to replace a tree it chopped down at Humboldt Drive and Saybrook Lane.

In May, concerned residents protested when a homeowners association trimmed three 75-foot pine trees and cut down another one.

The California Department of Fish and Game halted the destruction of the trees in Tennis Estates of Huntington Harbour.

The commissioners ruled that the loss of unhatched eggs and hatchlings because of tree trimming or tree removal adversely affects the wetlands ecosystem.

While herons and egrets are not endangered species, they are migratory birds protected by the California Fish and Game Code during their nesting season, which lasts roughly from March 15 through June 15, officials said.

The association also agreed to be monitored by an aviation biologist for five years.

Representatives of the homeowners association did not return calls for comment.

Huntington Harbour resident Drew Kovacs, who first reported the tree-trimming activity to city officials and environmentalists, said he hoped the herons and egrets would return to the nesting and roosting areas.

“The birds will know they are welcome to come back next spring and do their thing,” Kovacs said.