Globe-trotting birds fly onto the net
Tuesday 1st June 2010
Wildlife camera to document life of swallows at Cheshire farm
As the hugely popular Springwatch series hits our televisions once again, the Cheshire Wildlife Trust hopes to have their own small-screen stars thanks to a unique project at their Bickley Hall Farm headquarters.
Using the latest close-up wildlife camera technology, the Trust will be beaming daily pictures of that quintessential bird of summer – the swallow, to thousands of viewers across the internet.
Hidden in a barn at their 200ha site on the Cholmondeley Estate, the camera will follow just one of several pairs of swallows and house martins that call the working-farm home during the summer months, with every crucial moment of their non-stop lives captured for visitors to the Trust’s website, blog and social networking sites.
Supported by Urenco UK of Chester, the state-of-art camera system has been installed by the Trust’s communications officer, Tom Marshall, who is excited about the weeks ahead. Tom said: “When I first arrived at Bickley just a few weeks ago and got immediately buzzed overhead by the swallows in the farmyard, I knew we had to capture these awesome birds on film for everyone to see. Unlike the challenges of recent footage of otters seen on the Gowy River, we know exactly where the swallows will be once they have a nest, so it’s ideal for putting a long-term camera in place to get daily action. We’re extremely grateful to our corporate partner Urenco UK, who have assisted us in pulling-off this exciting project”.
Currently sitting on eggs, it’s hoped the swallows will hatch chicks within days, when viewers and visiting school children to the farm will get the chance to follow every move of the birds, as they prepare their young offspring for an epic African migration in the autumn.
Often considered one of the first signs of summer along with bluebells and the call of the cuckoo, the once ubiquitous swallow has seen a sharp decline in numbers in recent years and now finds itself on the unenviable Amber List of threatened UK birds according the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
Although several factors are thought to have contributed to the drop in their numbers, a loss of nesting areas in their favoured barns and farm outbuildings may have been one aspect. Mr Marshall added: “We’re fortunate at Bickley Hall to have a farm that is managed by Trust staff and volunteers with wildlife at the heart of the process, so our livestock, ponds and meadows provide perfect feeding grounds for the swallows, whilst our old barns are left open for the swallows to have a choice of rural loft accommodation!”.
Daily updates on the swallows will be available via YouTube (CheshireWT), the Trust’s website and blog.
For more information, visit www.cheshirewildlifetrust.co.uk
Story by Cheshire Wildlife Trust