Great News! Herons And Beyond – A Bird’s Eye View A Shropshire wildlife group will have a better view of herons thanks to an Awards for All Lottery grant of £10,000. Ellesmere-based Heronwatch will use the money to upgrade the CCTV equipment that allows visitors to the Boathouse to view the nesting herons. The heronry is on Moscow Island in The Mere, and the CCTV and telescopes enable visitors to follow the progress of the nesting birds and the chicks. Chairman of Heronwatch, Edward Bevan said “This is great news for us and visitors to The Boathouse. Our kit is becoming dated and the money will allow us to record footage of heron breeding behaviour. Herons breed particularly early – they are prospecting for nests around Christmas and lay eggs in February – so we need to urgently install our equipment to minimise disturbance.” Despite being one of our biggest birds, little is known about herons and the work of Heronwatch is helping to educate the public and advance scientific understanding of this majestic bird. Dr Cath Price of Shropshire Wildlife Trust is based at the Boathouse and follows the herons’ progress; “It’s like a soap opera with different heron families vying for the best nests. There are constant squabbles, births and deaths. Heronwatch’s new equipment will open a window onto wildlife behaviour you can’t see anywhere else.” The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery. The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 we have awarded close to £6bn. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006. More information about Ellesmere Heronwatch on the website heronwatch.org.uk
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:50:43 +0000
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