A San Antonio homeowner says the city gave him an impossible choice: pay a $300 fine for not trimming a tree branch, or risk violating a federal law that protects migratory birds.

Rob Streeper, who has lived in his Northwest Side home for 18 years, received a notice of violation from San Antonio Code Enforcement in June for a low-hanging branch extending over a public sidewalk.

But Streeper said he had a reason he couldn't comply - a bird was nesting in that branch.