A lot to crow about

Deepa Bharath

BALBOA PENINSULA -- Little spats among neighbors are as common in this

city as they are in most others.

But how many of those disagreements are about night herons?

Paulette Pappas, an East Balboa Boulevard resident, says her neighbor

across the street, Mary Globokar, doesn’t care about the birds that are

nesting on a ficus tree in front of her house.

Globokar, Pappas says, wants the trees trimmed despite the presence of

the birds, which are getting ready to hatch their young ones on the

branches.

Globokar’s answer: The nocturnal birds are “only roosting” in the

tree.

“It’s been more than two years since the tree has been trimmed,” she

said. “It’s about time it was done.”

And, Globokar added, the tree is on her side of the street, not

Pappas’.

“This tree is a problem for me,” she said. “It’s big and it is messing

up my side of the street.”

Pappas has been taping signs onto the tree warning tree trimmers about

the herons. And Globokar admits she rips off the signs.

“Of course I take them off,” she said. “The tree is right in front of

my house.”

However, the city has its take on the matter. It does not trim trees

that have active bird nests in them, said John Conway, the city’s urban

forester who heads tree-trimming operations.

“If we see there is an active nest around this time of the year, we

don’t trim it,” he said. “We come back in September after the birds are

gone.”

The city doesn’t usually trim trees this time of the year but the

General Services Department received some additional funding this year to

trim ficus trees all over the city, Conway said.

Pappas says the herons also came to nest in that particular ficus tree

last year.

“I’m really thrilled they came back this year,” she said. “That’s what

makes me so animated about this issue.”

Globokar said she would not have objections if the city did not trim

the tree after they found the birds were nesting in it. But, she said,

she objects to Pappas’ interference.

“This is between me and the city,” Globokar said.

But Pappas says she will continue to protect the birds and put the

signs on the ficus tree.

“It’s a question of saving these birds,” she said. “It’s as if they’re

on death row.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .