Boxes installed by River Colne to make bird habitats

The nests have been placed ahead of breeding season for the Kingfisher bird in March.

This was done by drilling four 50mm through sheet piling along the banks of the river by Beechen Grove which are reinforced with metal walls.

The metal walls protect the bank from erosion but block access for the birds who build nests by burrowing into earthy banks.

Installing one of the nests. Credit: Sandy Belloni.

The river bank. Credit: Sandy Belloni.

The holes behind the piling allows a nest box and tunnel to be placed and rust protection and white paint is used on the holes to mimic bird droppings.

This encourages kingfisher to investigate the boxes to hopefully make a home.

The work done by Community Connections Project is part of a wider project to improve breeding habitats for kingfishers in urban rivers.

Sandy Belloni said: "Kingfishers used to be more common on the Colne than they are today, some nest banks have become degraded or lost water at the base due to lack of flow.

"This is an important requirement to deter predators. Nest banks have also become inaccessible to due to excessive growth of waterside vegetation, preventing easy access to the birds but also providing routes for predators.

"Increased development & use of the river for leisure purposes has meant an increase in unintentional disturbance and the provision of more secluded nest sites becomes of increasing importance."