Stunning heron-watch cameras officially unveiled

The network of 10 high-definition cameras was officially unveiled at the Mere in the town on Saturday, where live pictures from the Moscow Island heron colony are streamed to screens inside the nearby Boathouse cafe and restaurant  

It follows a public appeal which raised £35,000 to replace old cameras that were worn-out and broken. 

Now, volunteers are looking forward to welcoming many more visitors to the popular Heronwatch project, which gives spectators a chance to ‘look and learn’ as they watch the birds during the breeding season between February and mid-May when eggs are laid, and chicks are hatched and reared before learning to fly.

The unveiling ceremony was performed by Ellesmere’s Mayor, Councillor Graham Hutchinson and Josie Owen from the British Trust for Ornithology.

Paying tribute to volunteers who have been running Heronwatch for more than thirty years, she said: “Raising the funds to do this is an impressive achievement, involving a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and hard work. 

“This project is brilliant. It’s so important, so valuable for science and so much fun to watch and learn from. All the milestones in the lives of these charismatic birds are important and learning about them is the key to ensuring their long-term success. 

"The detailed information that the cameras capture simply cannot be done by watching through a telescope. I don’t know of any system in the country that can achieve the coverage that this one can. It truly is a feather in Ellesmere’s cap!"

Ms Owen’s comments were echoed by the Mayor, who described  the Mere as “a jewel of the nation’s natural environment,” adding: “The Heronwatch volunteers deserve congratulations for raising the funds to revitalise the camera equipment for this exceptional visitor attraction which is a key element of our local economy.  It’s a wonderful achievement.”

Heronwatch chairman Edward Bevan thanked everyone who had supported crowd-funding to buy the new equipment.

“In total we raised more than £35,000,” he said. "People from the Ellesmere area as well as from much further afield have been incredibly generous and we truly couldn’t have done it without their support. We’re also extremely grateful to Shropshire Council for securing match-funding of £10,000 from Shropshire's Shared Prosperity Community Fund.

"Now, we look forward to a new era of seeing top-quality images of the herons and sharing them with the hundreds of visitors who come to Ellesmere every year to see the birds.”