Feathery visitors welcomed into Epping care home
'Our residents love to watch all the birds in the garden so the big garden birdwatch is right up their street.'
Staff and residents at Barchester’s Ashlar House care home in Epping, Essex, got out their bird books to support this year’s big garden birdwatch initiative this week but with a twist.
Residents enjoyed the chance to get up close to parakeets and budgies when leading animal therapy organisation, Performing Pets, visited the home.
The RSPB’s big garden birdwatch is an annual event to try to understand what is happening to our native birds.
The idea was to log all the birds people can see in their garden during a one-hour period.
With the local birds all being the everyday native species, Ashlar House’s residents were delighted when beautifully colourful parakeets and budgies arrived.
General manager Sharon Osborne said: “Our residents love to watch all the birds in the garden so the big garden birdwatch is right up their street.
"But we wanted to make it even more fun so made sure the residents could really get to know some beautiful birds. Our partners, Performing Pets, are always fun when they visit the home.”
Mary, a resident, said: “We have a beautiful new courtyard garden here and we’re very lucky that we see some different types of birds in it, but it was great to be able to hold the parakeet.”
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