IT will be feathered friends rather than students making the most of new accommodation at the University of Worcester.

Nearly 40 bird boxes have been installed as part of the university’s commitment to the environment in a scheme which has been sponsored by B&Q in Malvern.

The store donated 25 boxes which are suitable for house sparrows, great tits, blue tits, and nuthatches. There are also three starling boxes and nine boxes for robins and wrens.

This year also sees the start of an annual bird ringing project on the university’s St John’s campus.

Birds will be monitored by David Coker, a long-standing licensed bird ringer based in Ledbury, in conjunction with students at the university who are studying conservation ecology and environmental management.

Mr Coker said: “As well as improving the environment on the campus for birds, the nest boxes will enable the students to collect data to be fed into the integrated population monitoring progra-mme of the British Trust for Ornithology which provides key indicators on the welfare of the nation’s birds.”

Dr Duncan Westbury, a senior lecturer at the university, launched the bird box project after seeking advice from John Daye, of the RSPB.

“We are all aware that we should provide food and water for our garden birds throughout the year, but we also need to think about where these birds can nest,” he said.

“Many bird species in the UK and across Europe have declined significantly since the 1970s and some of these key species can be found in urban gardens.

“The bird ringing and bird box monitoring will provide an excellent learning opportunity for our students, while providing valuable information about our breeding birds on St John’s campus.”