Quarry success in Business Bird Challenge

Bardon Aggregates’ Little Paxton Quarry wins two awards in the Business Bird Challenge 2010

BARDON Aggregates’ Little Paxton Quarry has been awarded first place in both the ‘Conservation’ and ‘Community Involvement’ categories of the BTO – EDF Energy Business Bird Challenge competition, which aims to find the country’s best industrial and commercial sites for birds. In the ‘Bird Count’ category, the quarry recorded 168 different species, missing out on the top spot by only three species.

Kate Aldridge, challenge organizer at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), said: ‘Many industrial sites in this country are havens for wildlife and the Business Bird Challenge is a great opportunity to showcase what industry is doing to enhance biodiversity. We offer our congratulations to all those involved in the management of Little Paxton Quarry, as they are making a major contribution to UK conservation and thoroughly deserve the awards.’

As part of their environmental initiative, Bardon Aggregates ensured fencing was completed in order to improve some of the grassland through grazing, while an island archipelago was created to double the amount of secure habitat for wading birds, including breeding avocets. Once the quarry is fully restored, it will form part of the planned extension to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve.

Little Paxton Quarry, which has been certified to the Wildlife Trust’s Biodiversity Benchmark since 2008, is also shortlisted for the inaugural Natural England/MPA Biodiversity Awards taking place this October.