Harpenden Scouts box clever for birds

BIRD boxes have gone up on a nature reserve thanks to Scouts working for their conservation badges. The 14 Scouts from the Fourth Harpenden group made 12 bird boxes as their indoor project at their headquarters in the winter and put them up at the Batford

BIRD boxes have gone up on a nature reserve thanks to Scouts working for their conservation badges.

The 14 Scouts from the Fourth Harpenden group made 12 bird boxes as their indoor project at their headquarters in the winter and put them up at the Batford Springs Nature Reserve on Sunday.

To allow for positive identification, all the boxes are labelled as being the Scouts' own work and are numbered so that they can be easily identified at each annual check when they are cleaned.

The nature reserve is just around the corner from the Scouts HQ, with the River Lea flowing past it.

Scout leader Richard Aldridge and Ian Salvage - chairman of the Upper Lea Valley Group (ULVG) that helps to maintain the reserve - made arrangements for the Scouts to join other volunteers on monthly work parties helping to clear streams, remove dead timber, prune bushes and trees and build insect and mammal hides.

The Scouts had practical instruction on conservation work and were able to see some of the birds and river life that inhabit the reserve as well as its varied fauna.

Richard commented: "This is the second year that our Scouts have worked for their conservation badges on our local reserve. It is very gratifying to be able to combine badge work with an activity which is of benefit to the whole community."

Anyone wishing to help with the maintenance and conservation work on the nature reserve is asked to call 01582 761277 or 621017 for more details.