At the invitation of Rīgas Meži (Riga Forests), local residents, including people with visual impairments, prepared new homes for birds. You can make bird boxes all year round, but now is the perfect time to clean out used ones and remove the old nests.
This year is already the third joint initiative of the Jugla Development Society and the Latvian Society for the Blind.
"We clean the bird boxes in the winter, but in principle you can put them up all year round," said ornithologist Imants Jakovlevs, pointing out that providing a home for birds can have many positive effects, including helping to control insect and pest populations in gardens and allotments.
In the nearby Strazudumuiža park, many bird boxes have already seen extensive service, observed Jānis Pimbers, who is an experienced maker.
Meanwhile, there are also families where representatives of the younger generation see the opportunity to learn the basics of carpentry in the making of bird boxes.
In total, about 30 bird boxes were made on Sunday. The finished cages will be nailed to the trees in the Jugla forest.
"Here, for example, there are not many dry trees with hollows in the forest, and people usually cut them down if they see a tree that is withered. It immediately seems that it must be cut, removed. But the woodpecker will carve a hole in dead trees," explained the ornithologist Imants Jakovlevs.
He also warned that birds may not settle at all in the first year. It is preferable to fasten them to the tree with one nail at a height of 2-4 meters, with the entrance facing east or south.