A new project brought many feathered friends to Co Armagh’s care home residents.
Two care home groups have teamed up with the Lough Neagh Partnership to test the project. In order to attract more birds to the area, feed boxes will be placed throughout the grounds.
Lisnisky Care Home in Portadown is one of six participating homes. Its residents have been enjoying close-ups watching a variety wildlife, including blackbirds, thrushes blue tits great tits robins, and wrens.
If you are confined to your room, you can also view the birds via a tablet using a camera attached to one of the feed boxes.
Also, squirrels have been seen raiding the supplies of fruit and seeds left for birds.
Lough Neagh Partnership is working with six care homes in the Ann’s Care Homes group in Co Armagh and Hutchinson Care Home group in Co Antrim in the project.
Bird feeders and nestcam at Lisnisky Care Home (Edward Byrne/PA).
Peter Harper, shoreline environmental officer for the Lough Neagh Partnership said that the idea emerged during the coronavirus outbreak, which was funded under the EF Challenge Fund. This fund aims at reaching out to those who are most difficult to reach.
“We thought one sector which could benefit was the residential care home sector, and how could we bring the environment into the sector to add a bit of interest for the residents and the workers, but also help us to raise awareness of wildlife and conservation issues around the lough,”He spoke to the PA news agency.
“From that came the idea of providing some feeders and also a nestcam box and a nestcam on the feeder to provide live footage on a day-to-day basis to be screened into the homes.
“It was a pilot and we wanted to get a range of different care homes with different care requirements, some of the residents were more mobile and able to get involved in the feeding and others simply enjoyed birds coming to the home and learning about them.
“A lot of the residents staying in these homes are maybe from a very rural background and they know about the countryside and about wildlife, so these are little friends who come to the window every day – as long as the food is there they don’t let them down.”
Julie-Ann McStravick is a personal activities leader at Lisnisky. She said that they were excited to try the project because it could be adapted throughout the year and provide enjoyment all year.
“It has worked really well and has linked in with our arts and craft, we use the bird identification and colour for artwork,”She said.
“The staff also love watching the birds and help us fill the feeders, and taking videos of the birds. It has really linked with all together.
“A lot of residents who can’t come into the garden have said to me how much they have enjoyed watching the birds feed and all the activity around it.”
David Duprey, Resident of the House, stated that he really enjoys watching the birds and filling the feeders.
“It’s nice getting out to watch them. Where I sit I can see them coming out of the bushes and shrubbery, and it encourages me with art, with all the colours of them,”He stated.
“I have a feeder outside my window so I can watch them, the odd time you get a wee squirrel in the morning, you see them scooting about, they’re crafty wee rascals, they can get into the feeders too.”