A BASC initiative to build and install thousands of bird boxes around Lancashire and the North of England has been featured on the BBC.
Father and son team Lewis and Ian Bretherton have spent lockdown making hundreds of BASC-branded boxes to be sent out to shoots and conservation projects.
Meanwhile, at Fisher UK, following last year’s ‘Robin takeover’ of our tool store we chose to support this initiative.
We have installed two boxes at our headquarters as a show of support for the scheme and to provide much needed sanctuary for the healthy population of robins and blue tits that frequent our head office premises in East Yorkshire.
BASC Member and Fisher UK Director, Jon Fisher assembled the bird box kits at home with his daughter as a ‘home schooling project’ and was very pleased with the results.
He said
“We very much enjoy seeing and hearing the songbirds around the factory, their cheerful chirpiness really brightens up our day. Lewis and Ian Bretherton have come up with a great idea and my daughter and I really enjoyed some ‘daddy-daughter’ time in putting the BASC branded wooden bird boxes together to install at work and she’s already showing a great aptitude for construction! It’s great for her to be able to contribute toward such a positive initiative for the family business and a perfect opportunity to learn about conservation of wildlife.”
We have also donated a bird box to a local nursery for the children to enjoy.
Duncan Thomas, BASC director for the north of England, said: “This is an incredibly positive story for shooting in that is showcases how much work our community does for conservation.
“This is often unseen work. Many hundreds and thousands of hours of hard graft are put in up and down the country to help support the fantastic habitats that are all around us.
“Lewis and Ian have spent days and weeks on this project during lockdown and it was brilliant to see the BBC give them the credit they deserve. The birdboxes are already seeing success and a monitoring project is underway to see the varied species that are using them.
We’ll keep you updated on any action in our bird boxes at Fisher UK or the other two locations!