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26 June 2007
One good tern deserves a good tern raft!
Corporate members take part in a Team Task Day
Leaders of Unilever's Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC) swapped their global role for a local one for a day helping the The Wildlife Trust at Grafham Water Nature Reserve in June.
Safeguarding the environment is one of SEAC's core roles and the Wildlife Trust was a natural choice as partners in a teambuilding activity. The 18 volunteers worked together to build two tern rafts for the summer visitors, which were then launched onto the water to test their seaworthiness.
Common terns are seabirds that can sometimes be found nesting inland. They feed on fish and insects that they catch by plunge-diving into the water whilst flying, or dipping down and snatching from the water surface. Inland, common terns nest on bare, open islands safe from ground predators such as foxes. They can be encouraged to breed by creating artificial islands or by building a floating raft in areas of suitable habitat.
Grafham water is a wonderful expanse of open water, surrounded by wetlands, grasslands and ancient woods with a huge range of birds. It is one of the prime bird watching sites in the county, with rare and scarce birds such as osprey and the occasional Slavonian grebe alongside the more familiar resident mallards and greylag geese. With nine miles of shoreline, and around 170 species of bird recorded each year, there is always something to see.
Common terns nested at Grafham Water until 2002 when the habitat in the settlement lagoons adjacent to the reservoir became unsuitable. Terns can often be seen fishing around the site as they visit from the nearby colony at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. It is hoped that by building these rafts, it will encourage terns to stay at Grafham Water and nest.
Paul Hepburn, SEACs programme director, said, “As well as supporting the Wildlife Trust as Silver corporate members Unilever believes it is important to help with practical conservation tasks such as building tern rafts. It offers a great day out for staff whilst enhancing important habitats for their local wildlife”.
Volunteering on a team task day is just one way that local companies can support The Wildlife Trust. A registered charity, the Wildlife Trust relies on donations and has a thriving corporate membership scheme, with 88 companies pledging their support. As well as enabling the charity to fulfil its aims of protecting and improving habitats and biodiversity throughout the region, companies are offered benefits such as networking events and publicity.
For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Anna Bradnam on 01954 713549 or email Anna.Bradnam [at] wildlifebcnp.org