Golfers searching for birdies at The Shropshire Golf Centre in Muxton are keeping an eye out for them off-course too, after 16 nest boxes were placed around the four courses.
The boxes are fixed to trees at various points around the public pay-and-play courses, in an attempt to attract more birdlife to the area.
And they have already proved their worth with a number of species setting up home.
James Lever, The Shropshire Golf Centre’s General Manager, said: “Golf courses are an oasis for wildlife and we want to do our bit to encourage more birds and wildlife to The Shropshire to not only protect our environment but make the courses a more interesting and beautiful place for golfers to visit.”
According to the RSPB many bird species have halved in number over the last 25 years, including some of the UK’s best-known countryside birds.
And the nest boxes are an excellent way to help increase these numbers, with up to 60 species of birds known to use them.
The Shropshire has also welcomed back a family of swans who have set up home on the pond on the 7th hole of the Gold Course.
It was a welcome sight for golfers and staff at The Shropshire who were left reeling in 2007 when a family of swans were shot dead by trespassers.
Mr Lever added: “Everybody was shocked and appalled when the swans were shot two years ago, so it has been great to see another family make The Shropshire their home.”
By Sam Pinnington
