Last year the society’s eco-fund donated £2,000 to the Birds on the Edge project to buy enough trees to plant and restore the hedges, which will provide a home and food for birds, insects and many of Jersey’s wild creatures.
The society’s contribution has helped the group to buy 2,800 trees, which equates to slightly over a kilometre of hedges. Members and colleagues of the society planted approximately 250 metres of saplings, which is a quarter of the project’s total target.
Tanya Dorrity, the society’s community officer, said: ‘We had 30 volunteers in total, which was a mixture of members and colleagues of the society. The day was a great success. We managed to plant over 500 saplings in just under three hours. It was a real team effort and a great show of community spirit.
‘Birds on the Edge is a fantastic project, rebuilding natural habitats for our endangered birds and other wildlife. It’s such important work and we are thrilled to have been able to actively contribute to the cause in this way.’
Cristina Sellares, project officer for Birds on the Edge, added: ‘We are so grateful to the society for their donation from the eco-fund and to their colleagues and members for going the extra mile by helping to plant the saplings. It’s great to see members of the community coming together in this way to support Birds on the Edge.
‘Further hedges will be planted in a joint effort with local farmers and landowners, and will comprise a variety of native trees and shrub species. The purpose is to create linear living structures which will provide many advantages to our local wildlife, many of which are under threat due to the loss of habitats.’
The newly planted hedges will provide protection from predators and shelter in bad weather, as well as material to build nests for birds, and food in the form of buds and berries. The hedges will also provide food for pollinating insects, with flowers from various species of plants.
