Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has partnered with Kingdom Men’s Shed in Kilkeel to manufacture wooden nest boxes for Guillemots displaced by the ongoing work to walls along Annalong Harbour.
The Harbour Environmental Scheme, which launched in September 2021 aims to enhance and add value to the harbour area in Annalong by improving the aesthetics around it. The project, which is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) was launched and coincides with the ongoing reconstruction work being carried out on the north pier at the Harbour. Strengthening and rebuilding the walls of the pier has meant that the Council’s Biodiversity Team needed to come up with an innovative solution to provide alternative nesting spaces for the Black Guillemots, which normally nest in the harbour walls each year.
Black Guillemots nest in burrows or crevices, but research shows that they also like to use wooden nesting boxes. It was this knowledge which helped to generate the idea for partnering with the Kingdom Men’s Shed, to ask for their help in manufacturing the nest boxes that will be placed at Annalong Harbour for the Guillemots to use.
During a recent visit to meet the team at Kingdom Men’s Shed and view their craft, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Cathy Mason said, “The Council is very grateful to the Kingdom Men’s Shed for manufacturing the nest boxes. The installation of these new homes will create safe, secure nesting spaces for these important birds to ensure they can continue to breed at Annalong Harbour for years to come.”
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