The Big Garden Bird Watch

Join us for The Big Garden Bird Watch this weekend!

Saturday 30th January, 2pm – 4pm

Dixon Park, Larne

Take part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey, The Big Garden Birdwatch, and make your very own bird box to take home.

Sunday 31st January, 10am - 1pm 

Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen, Carrickfergus (Meeting at Oakfield Community Centre)

Get close to our feathered friends during a hands-on bird ringing demonstration and take part in The Big Garden Birdwatch. Bird ringing is the attachment of a small numbered tag to the leg or wing of a wild bird to enable individual identification and is vital for bird conservation.  

Starling. Photo credit: Eleanor Bentall

Sign making

Plot holders were invited along to a sign making workshop at Eden Allotment Gardens on Sunday 24^th Jan. The workshop was facilitated by local artist Janet Crymble. A delicious lunch of allotment stew was provided by the Carrickfergus Community Cultivators.

Hearty Walks

Our penultimate Hearty Walk is taking place this Sunday 24th January, 10.30am -11.30am. Join us for a walk in the woods. Meeting at Oakfield Community Centre. 

Count the Wildlife that's Counting on you

It's time to start preparing your gardens for the 2016 Big Garden Birdwatch. The RSPB initiative is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey and will celebrate its 37^th year on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 January. The Big Garden Birdwatch is a chance for everyone to actively help nature and Mid and East Antrim is actively backing the campaign and giving the public the chance to learn important bird conservation skills at our two events:

Saturday 30th January, 2pm – 4pm

Dixon Park, Larne

Take part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey, The Big Garden Birdwatch, and make your very own bird box to take home.

Sunday 31st January, 10am - 1pm 

Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen, Carrickfergus (Meeting at Oakfield Community Centre)

Get close to our feathered friends during a hands-on bird ringing demonstration and take part in The Big Garden Birdwatch. Bird ringing is the attachment of a small numbered tag to the leg or wing of a wild bird to enable individual identification and is vital for bird conservation.  

You can also complete the Big Garden Bird Survey at home. Visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more information and simply spend one hour during the Birdwatch weekend counting the visitors to your garden. The data gathered from this survey provides a vital health-check of the wildlife that we share our homes with. Last year almost half a million people across the UK, including more than 12,000 in Northern Ireland, took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. Of the 127,700 birds counted in NI, house sparrows were the most commonly seen. Participants can also  record other garden wildlife, including hedgehogs and squirrels. 

For more information about Big Garden Birdwatch 2016 visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch

Mayor of Mid & East Antrim, Cllr Billy Ashe, with Alison Diver, Growing Communities Officer

  

The Big Garden Bird Watch 2016

Two Big Garden Bird Watch events coming up: 

A Hearty Walk at Blackhead Path

Participants enjoyed a bracing walk along Blackhead Path this Sunday (10th Jan). 

Our next Hearty Walk is Sunday 24th Jan. We will be walking through Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen. Meeting at Oakfield Communtiy Centre, walk 10.30am - 11.30am. 

Friends of, 9th Jan 2016

'Friends Of' Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen, Saturday 9th Jan 2016

The Friends Of Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen spent Saturday morning (9th Jan) clearing invasive species from site, including laurel and rhododendron. 

The next meeting is Saturday 13th Feb 2016, meeting at Oakfield Community Centre, 10am (to 1pm). If you are interesting in learning new practical conservation skills and meeting like minded people come along and join in. 

Hearty Walks 2016

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's Hearty Walks programme continues this Sunday, 10th January 2016, 2.30pm - 3.30pm. This walk is taking place along Blackhead Path, Whitehead, meeting at Blackhead car park. The walk will be led by trained walk leaders.

Blackhead Path is a bracing walk by the sea. The path runs northeast from Whitehead and is lined by interesting wildlife habitats including grassland, woodland (known locally as the 'Magic Forest') and a rocky shoreline. The Lough itself is an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) famed for its bird population, including nesting peregrine falcons. Meadow pipit, robin, goldfinch and chaffinch are commonly seen. There have also been recent sightings of stoat and otter and, on sunny days, watch out for lizard sunning themselves on rocks by the path. If you keep an eye on the beach and look out to sea, birds such as cormorant, shag, gannet, oyster catcher, redshank, turnstone, black-headed gull and common gull can be spotted. Seals, porpoise and dolphin can sometimes be seen swimming in the lough – a real treat.  

Walking is great for your physical and mental health - help reduce your risk of heart disease, control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, boost immune system, and have a postive effect on depression, memory and creativity. 

Two more walks will also be taking place:

Sunday 24^th January, Bashfordsland Wood, Carrickfergus, 10.30am-11.30am

Sunday 14^th February, Marine Gardens, Carrickfergus, 2.30pm-3.30pm

Friends of Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen 2016

The 'Friends Of' group will be meeting this Saturday, 9th January 2016, 10am-1pm. We will be clearing cherry laurel, which is an invasive species, from the site. 

The programme has proven popular and task days have been arranged until June. Full list of dates below.