In June 2022, the Residents’ Association (RA) attended the quarterly directors’ board meeting to discuss a proposal put forwards by members to have bird boxes installed on site. The board agreed that this was a great idea so the RA got busy putting plans in place!
The boxes were made by Outwood Community Workshop at Grow Wakefield and funded by members of the RA.
Grow Wakefield: https://www.grow-wakefield.co.uk/
On Saturday 24th Sept, with the support of Jeff from Great Grounds & Gardens, five bird boxes were installed on site. As the RA wildlife advisor, Jeff is our go-to person for all things bird, bat, insect, hedgehog and many more!
Jeff advised that the perches should be removed from the bord boxes as they encourage vermin, so they were removed prior to installation.
Jeff also took care to make sure the boxes were placed in locations that would encourage their use. They were spread out around the park and placed in areas with lots of natural perches (tree branches) and positioned so that the birds can fly in and out of them easily.
A special robin box was placed at the base of a tree in a well-covered and protected area to entice a pair of nesting robins to make it their home.
Here are a few lovely shots of the bird boxes and Jeff at work. Everyone’s favourite resident chihuahua, Alfie, was also in attendance to make sure everything went well. He did a very good job of supervising the installation!
Photo credit: John Slemensek, an independent film maker/director and photographer. You can find John at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-slemensek-a2aa68151
Parklands Estate Residents' Association, Wakefield 