Quarry & Asphalt Division has recently begun a programme to attract visitors to its locations. However, some of the division’s most loyal ones are now causing a bit of a stir.
For the past several years, swallows have been visiting Carmean depot and nesting inside the granular limestone storage shed. However, as the division now supplies granular limestone for animal feed manufacture, its production and storage facilities for this material must be secure against entry from wild animals; unfortunately, this includes our feathered friends. Securing the storage facilities is also a requirement of the division’s recently-attained Feed Materials Accreditation Scheme (FEMAS) accreditation.
This action is understandable in light of recent scares such as bird flu and salmonella outbreaks. After the previous swallow nesting season, and once the birds had emigrated, old nests were removed from the storage shed and secure roller-doors were installed to prevent the 2007 immigrants from using the shed once again.
However, the division is still keen to do what it can to facilitate the birds elsewhere at the location, as Q&A Division’s Environmental Officer, Gavin Ramsey, explains: “Northstone completely understands that we have to do what we can to prevent contamination of our products. We have to know that what we supply to our customers is safe to use. However, we are still very keen to have these birds at our site, as they contribute to the location’s biodiversity value and are a strong indicator that quarrying and nature can very happily co-exist.”
“We therefore sought the advice of the RSPB on the matter and installed specialist artificial swallow nests at the site, well away from the feed material production line and storage areas. It is hoped that the birds will use these and find them as comfortable as their own!”
