Point of Ayr

Despite much bluster and blather, there is still no evidence of a new hide at the Point of Ayr.

It’s pushing three years now. The three organisations involved are BHP Billiton – the largest mining company in the word - (market capitalisation 243,540.3 million USD), the RSPB (annual revenues circa £90m) and Flintshire County Council (annual revenues £240m).

Yet between them they cannot muster the will, wit and organisation to build a bird hide in thirty-three months.

One imagines BHP Billiton’s attitude to conservation work is tokenistic at best – they are a private business run for profit after all.

Flintshire County Council probably does what local bureaucracies do best: procrastinate, block, ponder, stifle and pontificate.

That leaves the RSPB. Many promises and commitments have been made over the past couple of years but nothing has come to fruition.

Irritatingly, a perfect window of opportunity to build the hide has just passed, when the Environment Agency had opened up access to the area whilst work was carried out work to strengthen the seawall.

Should the hide eventually materialise, I would like the site to move under the stewardship of the RSPB in Wales. Out of sight and out of mind seems to be the prevailing attitude of the RSPB on the Dee Estuary. After all, the Point of Ayr is in Wales and is closer to RSPB Conwy than it is to Inner Marsh Farm.

That would leave IMF to focus its efforts on the English side of the estuary and on the new reserve extension – another project that has overrun.

Until later.