Cemex UK is helping to save the Twite

In Dove Holes quarry, Derbyshire, the Cemex UK team is helping to save the Twite, a small, sparrow-like bird, by planting a flower-rich meadow that will provide plenty of seeds for the birds to feed their young.

In partnership with the RSPB, Cemex has planted the five-hectare field next to the Twites’ breeding area in Dove Holes quarry with a special seed mix to encourage a flower-rich meadow. Dove Holes is one of only a very few nesting sites for the bird, which has the most restricted distribution of any English breeding bird. It is thought that fewer than 100 breeding pairs remain in the country.

George Hudson, a keen local birder, has been watching the birds on the site for years. He comments: “Despite the fact that they are tough little birds, we are in a grim position throughout the country.  In 2008 there were around 50 Twite in this area, but they have hung on in the quarry and through the summer we have seen around 10 or 11 but no young. They can recover from this very small number and the new meadow will make all the difference, giving them a fighting chance.”

Tim Melling, RSPB Conservation Officer, said: “Twite used to be common and widespread throughout the Peak District but now this tiny population is all that remains.  If we lose these birds we might never get them back, but if we help them, they may provide a nucleus to regain its former status in the Peak.  Creating this perfect meadow right next to their nesting grounds should certainly help.”

Adapted from press release by Katherine Guenioui

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/30102014/cemex-uk-is-helping-to-save-the-twite-763/