As part of the work by the Luton Lea Catchment Partnership, community charity Groundwork East is installing a kingfisher nesting box into the sheet piling at Manor Road Park, Luton.

The natural riverbank on the road side had previously been replaced with sheet piling to support the land alongside Windmill Road, and this has created an ideal area to put a nesting box. An artificial burrow will be placed below the ground with the nest tunnel cut through the piling making it accessible to the birds from the river.

The Common Kingfisher is an iconic freshwater bird that brightens up Britain's waterways and that constructs their nests along the water's edge. Unfortunately, the number of suitable nesting sites available to these birds has declined rapidly in recent years as human activity continues to change the landscape. So Groundwork is giving a place for them to nest in this urban river environment.

Groundwork will be monitoring the new nest over the next three years but is encouraging local residents to report any sightings to them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cllr Khtija Malik portfolio holder responsible for parks at Luton Council said, "The joint project completed at Manor Park last year to restore a part of the River Lea resulted in an attractive space for visitors, and for local wildlife. It is lovely to now see this environmental work include the introduction of Kingfisher nesting boxes and hopefully people will get a chance to spot these stunning little birds in the park".

 

Proposed site: 

IMG 20191217 105005

 

IMG 20191217 105017

Design by LTD Design Consultants and build by Garganey Consulting.