RSPB Birdwatch flocks to Ipswich care homes

Home news

Jan 26, 2016

Residents and the Care UK teams at Prince George House and Asterbury Place care homes in Ipswich, and Mills Meadow in Framlingham, are gearing up to take part in this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

With binoculars at the ready and bird feeders filled, the Care UK homes will be joining in the world’s largest wildlife survey on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st January.

A longstanding RSPB initiative, the Big Garden Birdwatch encourages people throughout the UK to take a closer look at the nature on their doorsteps by counting the different birds which visit their garden in any one hour over the last weekend of January, as well as recording any non-bird species such as badgers and hedgehogs.

This will be the second consecutive year Mills Meadow and Asterbury Place have taken part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. The homes’ participation in 2015 was deemed a great success by nature-loving residents and in the past 12 months the care homes have been busy painting new bird boxes and making their own fat ball feeders in order to attract more wildlife. Prince George House care home, which opened in Ipswich in February 2015, will be taking part for the first time this year. The home has created a bird-friendly garden and has decorated bird boxes with the help of pupils at Ravenswood Community Primary School.

Home manager, Katherine Foley, explained why Prince George House is looking forward to taking part in the Birdwatch this year: “Staying active and enjoying the outdoors can be extremely valuable for the residents, particularly those living with dementia. The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch provides a great opportunity for residents to access outside spaces and reap the emotional, social and physical benefits this can bring.

“The quiet, calming nature of bird watching can help lower anxiety, while the colourful sights and distinctive sounds of our feathered friends provide plenty of sensory stimulation. Bird watching can also be a valuable reminiscence activity, with the appearance of certain species and the sounds of birdsong evoking memories and helping residents recall their love of nature.

“With so many benefits, we were keen to join other local Care UK homes in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this year and hope it will be bigger and better than before. We have been busy preparing our gardens to attract wildlife and making fat balls to provide birds with vital nourishment over the winter months. The fat ball recipe can be downloaded at: www.careuk.com/birdwatch.

“Playing an active role in preparations for the birdwatch has helped to provide meaningful and fulfilling occupation for the residents, who are now all looking forward to playing their part in the RSPB’s important national survey.”

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch has taken place annually over the last 35 years, with the information collected each year helping the RSPB form a picture of bird populations across the country and highlighting any trends or changes. For more information, please go to www.rspb.org.uk.