Ever thought about building a little abode for your friendly neighbourhood birds and bees? Never got around to it because it seems just too hard, and a little too expensive? The DU ZooSoc and The Phil paired up on Tuesday to teach us a little something about the housing crisis the birds are currently facing in urban areas.
This event was a great opportunity to gain invaluable information about the major role that birds and pollinators such as bees have on the environment and their importance to the Irish economy. Have you ever wondered just how much bees are worth to our economy? €53 million! Do you know how many species of bees there are in Ireland that can produce honey? We didn’t know till today either. Just 1!
And that wasn’t all, we got to look through books about birds in Ireland, brochures about bees and learn about urban conservation. For example, some of the places known for birdwatching in Dublin include Booterstown Reserve and Phoenix Park.
We also learnt that we could partake in birdwatching and join DU ZooSoc and Dublin University Photography Association (DUPA) in Phoenix Park later in the year on a birdwatching and photography expedition.
Just visit birdwatchireland.ie to log a bird when you see one.
For the price of €3, we got to lay our hands on a fantastic DIY birdhouse making kit. Included in the kit were the instructions and materials we required; screws, pre-cut wood blocks, nails and washers. DU ZooSoc kindly provided us with hammers and screwdrivers too!
Weirdly enough, hammering nails into wooden pieces was so relaxing and a great way to strike up an interesting conversation with your neighbour.
Countless taps of hammers and screw-ups later, we began to unravel beautiful wooden masterpieces that could potentially house little birds and bees. As the end was near, and our little creations became our pride and glory, all we could think about was the colours we’d paint them to bring them to life!
Reporting by Prapti Setty and Amrutha Augustine
