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25 April 2008
One good tern…
National Grid staff take part in team-task day
A team of willing volunteers from National Grid’s call centre at Northampton swapped customer care for a day of wildlife care on 15 April, building two floating rafts for common tern at Pitsford Reservoir Nature Reserve.
Common terns are seabirds that 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. They spend the winter in west and south Africa but come to the UK around the end of April to breed. Inland, common terns nest on bare, open islands safe from ground predators such as foxes, and can be encouraged to breed by creating artificial islands or building floating rafts.
Common terns had been seen feeding at Pitsford Reservoir nature reserve for many years, but as the reservoir has no natural islands, they did not start to nest until the first nesting raft was built in 2000. More rafts have since been built and last year, 55 pairs were counted. Now terns are seen all along the Nene Valley and are also nesting at Summer Leys Nature Reserve.
This is the second of four volunteering events in which staff from National Grid, as Gold Corporate Members, are working with the Wildlife Trust to improve wildlife habitats. The rafts will be launched at Pitsford ready for the beginning of May when the common terns will be searching for suitable nesting sites, having over-wintered in Africa
Volunteering on team-task days is just one way local companies can support the Wildlife Trust. If you or your company are interested in finding out how to support your local wildlife, please contact Anna Bradnam on 01954 713549 or Anna.Bradnam [at] wildlifebcnp.org.