Proves A Huge Success

It would seem Rockliffe Hall’s beautiful grounds aren’t just appreciated by the resort’s guests, golfers and staff – a wide variety of birds have chosen to take up residence and breed here too.

Rockliffe Hall is working together with the River Tees Rediscovered Landscape Partnership to encourage our feathered friends to come and stay at the luxury resort, and it’s been a huge success.

Entitled “Wings on the Tees”, the project has seen the installation of 36 bird nest boxes around the grounds of the Hall and Golf course over the last year. The project covers anything that can fly from dragonflies and butterflies to bats and all types of birds.

To start with we've been concentrating on birds and this spring we've had great success. Two large boxes were erected for Tawny Owls in the wooded grounds. Happily both were used, the first by a Tawny which has successfully reared three chicks. The second was taken over by a Stock Dove that raised two chicks. Both birds are on the amber alert list for this country due to a decline in numbers.

The smaller boxes were well occupied - 15 by Blue Tits, eight by Great Tits and one mid-size box by Starlings.

It is hoped the partnership will grow and sites will be found for more boxes, aiming to bring a greater variety of birds into the area.

For further information on the “Wings on the Tees” project please contact Sarah Barry on 01287 636382, or sbarry@teeswildlife.org

The partnership is supported by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and by the Heritage Lottery Fund.