A new 500-page book featuring the species of birds found in Bedfordshire is launching this weekend, with all proceeds going to support two local nature sites.
Published by Bedfordshire Natural History Society, The Birds of Bedfordshire contains detailed information on the 307 species of birds that have been recorded in the county and includes almost 400 colour photographs that have been taken locally.
Funded by the Peter Smith Charitable Trust for Nature, the book is being launched at an event at Clophill Lakes Nature Reserve this Saturday (4 October), at 10.30am.
The Clophill Lakes Reserve is run by The Greensand Trust and opened earlier this year, but suffered from an arson attack in August.
Read: Appeal for public to support Bedfordshire nature reserve after arson attack
To support the project, 50% of all proceeds from the book will go to restoring the facilities at the site, with the other 50% gifted to developing Strawberry Hill Nature Reserve in Knotting Green, which is home to more than 30 singing nightingales each summer and a range of other locally scarce species.
35 years ago, the previous owner of Strawberry Hill let nature take over the 150-hectare (377-acre) site.
The land was transformed from poor arable fields to grassland, shrub and young woodland, and as the habitat became wilder, the wildlife moved in, including nightingales, turtle doves, linnets, harvest mice, badgers and more.
The book’s author, Tony Ploszajski, told the Bedford Independent: “More bird species have increased their numbers in Bedfordshire over the past 30 years than have decreased.
“Partly this is due to efforts to improve habitats at sites like the Bedford River Valley Park [behind Riverfield Drive], but climate change has also allowed birds like Little Egrets to colonise from areas further south.
“Perhaps the most spectacular increase has been in Red Kites.
“These were formerly confined to a small area in mid-Wales, but a reintroduction scheme in the Chilterns has led to a rapid expansion and they are now a common sight in the skies over Bedford and its surrounds.”
Asked about the rarest birds sighted in Bedfordshire, Tony said: “There have been several instances of rare birds turning up in Bedford over the years, particularly at Priory Country Park, where no fewer than nine first records for the county have been recorded, including a rare Bee-eater.”
The Birds of Bedfordshire book is available for £45 (plus £7.95 postage and packing) and can be ordered from the Bedfordshire Natural History Society here.
You can preorder the book to collect at the launch event to avoid paying postage and packing costs.
Clophill Lakes NR, Shefford Road, Beadlow, Beds SG17 5TR
