Local BB have a 'hoot' as they help to conserve birds

THE boys from Trinity Boys Brigade Boardmills have been given a glimpse of the value of local wildlife by the RSPB and Ulster Wildlife Trust when they helped to install nest boxes, which aim to conserve local birds. The boys were taken to the farm of Martin and Mildred Scott, who are also leaders of their local BB Group.

The Scotts have a beautiful mixed farm in Crossgar which has a number of different habitats. The farm is in the Countryside Management Scheme and has also been in the RSPB’s Yellowhammer Recovery Project since 2006.

The RSPB’s Claire Barnett and Jen Banks showed the boys the different habitats and explained the benefits that each had for breeding birds in the area, specifically the yellowhammer and tree sparrow which have suffered serious declines in recent years.

The boys were also given the opportunity to fulfill objectives set for their badge work. “As we all know the BB are always up for a challenge, and on this fine Saturday afternoon the boys had the opportunity to show off their carpentry skills,” said Martin Scott.

Maeve Rafferty, Key Species Officer with the Ulster Wildlife Trust, supplied materials to build barn owl boxes for this highly threatened species as part of the ‘Home to Roost’ project.

Maeve explained: “Barn owls are one of our rarest birds, and through the Home to Roost project we are tackling one of the challenges these birds face – a lack of natural nest sites. By installing artificial nest boxes in areas where the owls are known to occur, we hope to improve their breeding chances and bolster numbers.”

“It was an extremely fun and educational event, the boys where brilliant to work with,” said Claire. “Hopefully we will be able to return later in the season to some good news by way of baby owls and yellowhammers.”