Residents at Blackwater Mill Care Home had an industrious time preparing for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, which took place on the 29th, 30th and 31st January.
The home purchased a bird table, and the wonderful Maintenance Team fixed it into position just outside of the conservatory, where residents can see the birds whenever they wish to.
An amazing outdoor smart camera was also purchased to enable residents to watch the birds from a different area, in the comfort of their arm chair.
Residents had a fabulous time making some special tea cup bird feeders ready for the bird watch.
They enjoyed getting their hands stuck into the seed and lard and found the sensory experience of squeezing the 2 together relaxing. Once combined, they filled the teacups with the mixture, which were then hung around outside.
For the Big Garden Birdwatch residents sat in a variety of locations around the home with identification sheets and recorded which types of bird they saw. The results were collated and sent to the RSPB who used the data to monitor which species are on the increase or the decline, and in which areas this is happening.
Due to the rural location and having a lake in the grounds, a group of residents managed to spot some unusual birds – such as wild ducks and even a heron!
Resident, Dill, said:
“I don’t like getting messy, so I was a bit concerned about squeezing the seed and lard together, but I had gloves on so it wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I had great fun, and once the seed was in the cups they looked brilliant. I am going to make some when I get back home for my own garden.”
Activities Coordinator, Debbie Webb, said:
“Most our residents love nature and animals, and we use these within as much of our enrichment programme as we can. They had great fun getting everything ready, and enjoyed watching and recording the birds together, it was a lovely social activity.”
They do such a variety of activities, lovely to see,