Uplifting news! New high-rise ‘kes res’ for wildlife HQ

Uplifting news! New high-rise ‘kes res’ for wildlife HQ

A new kestrel nest box with inbuilt camera has been fitted at Kent Wildlife Trust’s nature park and visitor centre on Blue Bell Hill, near Maidstone. The work, which should have been completed earlier this year, was put on hold when a pair of jackdaws unexpectedly took up residence in the old box!

The high-resolution camera is linked to a TV in the visitor centre so that schoolchildren and visitors can see and hear what is happening in the nest box erected 10 metres high on a pole overlooking the nature park.

Boxley Parish Council funded the camera equipment - provided by Gardenature wildlife camera systems - and the box was installed by Trust corporate member, UK Power Networks.

Visitor Centre Manager, Steve Rebindaine, said: “The old nest box had seen better days, so the generous support of the Council and UK Power Networks provided a great opportunity to replace it with a state-of-the-art monitoring system and should make fascinating viewing from next spring.”