BRIGG TO GIVE A HELPING HAND TO BIRDS AND BATS

Nesting birds and roosting bats are to receive a helping hand from Brigg Town Council.
A box suitable for breeding owls has already been installed locally, Town Mayor Coun Brian Parker revealed during the latest meeting  (location not identified for obvious reasons).
Now, following a suggestion made by Coun Jane Kitching, consideration is to be given to nesting provision for swifts, swallows and house martins, whose numbers have been declining.
Bats are also to benefit, with trees at the Cemetery and the Recreation Ground already suggested as possible locations.
The bird species identified for assistance will require nesting sites on suitable buildings.
Many of the roof eaves once used, particularly by swifts, have been lost due to various alterations made to local properties.
However, Coun Carl Sherwood suggested the owners of some buildings might be put off due to the mess created by the birds.
The council agreed to provide 10 bat boxes, 10 for birds and to establish a working group of councillors to consider this project in depth.
An update on progress is anticipated at a future meeting.

Swallows and house martins will be returning to Brigg later this month after wintering in Africa; swifts will follow them in May.

PICTURED: Trees at Brigg Cemetery and the Recreation Ground, plus a swift - a species which is nowhere near as common as it once was in the town.