Team effort to help Whitby's rapidly declining swifts

They make small nests out of sight under roof tiles and in gaps under eaves.

But these birds are in trouble.

More than half have gone since 1995.

They are disappearing fast.

The reason is because when roofs are renovated or replaced suddenly the nest sites are gone.

So the Whitby Swifts group has teamed up with CaVCA, the organisation that runs the Green Lane Centre in Whitby, to install nest-boxes for swifts, together with a solar-powered sound system to attract the birds.

The community centre, which boasts great green credentials, is potentially an excellent site for swifts.

With the help of a team and raised platform from North Yorkshire Council Scarborough Parks, the special nest-boxes were installed on Wednesday, ready for the swifts arriving back from Africa over the next few weeks.

Swifts lay two or three eggs and then feed the chicks on flies and other insects caught in flight.

And, incredibly, once the chicks jump out of the nest on their first flight they won’t land again anywhere until they return to Whitby in two years’ time as adults.

Yes, that’s right, two whole years in the air, eating, sleeping and eventually mating without ever touching down!

That certainly seems like something worth protecting.

The installation was funded by the Scarborough Mayoral Fund, and it is wonderful that CaVCA and the council have enthusiastically offered their help and support to Whitby Swifts to make it happen.

Contact [email protected] if you would like to help swifts or for more information.