Castle Espie Makes Room for Wild Birds
Aims
A Northern Ireland wildlife centre will move its captive birds and change how it welcomes school groups.
The lesson, stage by stage
- News10 min
In the news: The story
Read a 109-word news story: A Wildlife Centre Plans a Fresh Start
Castle Espie, a wildlife centre in County Down, will move all its captive birds to other sites run by the same charity from November. The centre once had about 500 birds in its collection, but now has fewer than 100. The charity says bird flu and new restrictions on moving birds have made it harder to keep the collection. It will also stop offering a guided tour programme for schools, although schools can still visit without a guide. The centre says rising costs are part of the reason for the changes. It hopes that opening up more space will help wild birds and support conservation in the local wetland.
- Vocabulary8 min
Vocabulary: Words in the news
6 items
- Discussion10 min
Discussion: A visit to a nature centre
2 discussion questions
- What makes a visit to a wildlife centre enjoyable for you?
- Would you rather explore a nature reserve with a guide or on your own? Why?
- Discussion10 min
Discussion: Learning outdoors
2 discussion questions
- What is something about nature you would like to learn more about?
- What outdoor place did you enjoy visiting as a child, or would you have liked to visit?
- Discussion10 min
Discussion: Balancing care and cost
2 discussion questions
- How should wildlife centres balance caring for captive animals with protecting wild spaces?
- If a nature centre had to reduce its services, what should it try hardest to keep, and why?
Target vocabulary
In a Tuton account these words become your student's vocabulary deck, so they come back in practice between lessons.
- captive
- kept by people instead of living in the wild
- restrictions
- rules that limit what people can do
- guided tour
- a visit led by someone who explains a place
- conservation
- the work of protecting nature and wildlife
- wetland
- an area of land that is often covered with water
- collection
- a group of things gathered or kept together
This plan comes from the Environment course in the Tuton library. Browse all free lesson plans.