Arundel steps up to Bring Back Our Birds

Hirundine expert, Paul Stevens was invited by Greening Arundel to spearhead a Bring Back Our Birds (B-BOB) campaign. At the launch, Paul was overwhelmed not only by the sheer number of people who turned up on a cold, wet Monday evening, but also by the extent of their commitment to make a positive difference. “I was really taken aback by the amount of support for the project, not only those that turned up to my talk but also the committed Greening Arundel team. With this type of support the project can only go from strength to strength and see the return of our summer migrants to the skies of Arundel once again.” At the Fauna event, close to 30 people signed up for nests to be installed on their property - a number that has almost doubled in the six months since that night.

Following a scoping exercise of existing and historical nest locations and a detailed assessment of the suitability of proposed properties, Paul has now embarked on the first phase of nest installation across the town from Kirdford Road in the west to The Causeway in the east, as well as numerous sites in the centre of town, including the Town Hall itself. With financial support from the Sussex Ornithological Society and the Royal Horticultural Society, as well as donations from local enthusiasts, 50 nest boxes and cups are being installed in over 30 locations, with more planned for next year.

“Arundel Town Council has got behind the Bring Back Our Birds project by agreeing to host a three nest Swift box on the front of the Town Hall with a low sound call box to further encourage Swifts to take up residence”, said Arundel Town Councillor Carole Beaty. “Hosting these birds in the centre of the town is in line with the Town Council’s Strategic Plan. The Council is joining with Arundel residents to support this exciting project to encourage the return of these iconic birds.”

And that’s not all. The Arundel Community Orchard Group received funding through the South Downs Sustainable Communities Fund to purchase a state-of-the-art House Martin Tower, which has recently been erected. The Tower will be unveiled by Arun District Councillor, Stephen McAuliffe during a Spring Wassail Celebration taking place in the Orchard from 15:15 on Saturday 23 March. The Celebration will be a community event, open to all. For more information, contact: [email protected]

By harnessing local enthusiasm and accessing available resources, Greening Arundel has already made significant strides towards not only restoring the habitat of endangered birds, but also increasing bio-abundance and bio-diversity to sustain their return. Anyone interested in learning more, should contact: [email protected]