Melin Llynnon Mill Fun Day Helps Birds Nest And Feed This Spring

Today Anglesey Council’s Waste Management Section teamed up with Keep Wales Tidy, The Council’s Countryside and AONB Service and Friends of Llanddeusant at Melin Llynnon Mill to make bird boxes, bird tables, trays and fat balls from waste materials. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Twenty five children and their parents came to Melin Llynnon Mill for a fun day out in Anglesey’s only working mill. Organised by the Council’s Countryside and AONB service, children and parents alike learnt how to make a range of products to look after wild birds this Spring. Keep Wales Tidy, the Council’s Waste Management Section and Friends of Llanddeusant were all there to provide advice and lend a hand. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Today is about getting back to nature and looking after our wildlife, so I’m pleased to have a number of organisations here who all have an interest in getting the most out of the environment. The Waste Management Section and Keep Wales Tidy have a lot of experience making products out of materials people would normally consider rubbish, and their bird boxes and tables are ideal for giving birds a great start this spring while being fun to make,” said Lowri Hughes, AONB Community Warden. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Building bird boxes is easy with a simple design using materials that you might throw away after a DIY project. All you need is three planks of wood 152mm by 450mm. One piece forms the back of the box, the other you cut in half on a diagonal to form the sides and the next in three to form the base roof and front. Drill a 25mm entrance hole to make a luxury home for blue tits. A piece of old leather or rubber can be used to make a hinge for the roof, so the box can be cleaned out at the end of spring for the next season,” explains Bethan Jones, Senior Recycling Promotions Officer. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Gareth Owen, Keep Wales Tidy Officer said: “Birds use a lot of energy finding food for their young and keeping themselves fed, so bird feeders are a good way of helping them stay healthy. These can be easily built with an old plastic bottles and some twigs. Drill two holes in the base of the bottle and thread some old wire through them to hang the bottle up Cut two holes in the sides of the bottle opposite each other near the top of the bottle and push a stick through them to make a perch. Cut several 1cm holes above the perch so the birds can get to the seed. Fill the bottle with seed and then hang it upside down from a tree. Watch the birds flock to it this spring.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​