Whitby church belfry provides ideal home for 'iconic' swifts

They perform fantastic aerial manoeuvres and fly thousands of miles from Africa to breed in our town.

Nesting out of sight under tiles or in eaves, their numbers have fallen drastically in the last two decades, in part due to roofs being renovated and holes blocked.

So, the group, Whitby Swifts, with the support of the Yorkshire Coast Swift Group, continue to install nestboxes for them in different locations around the town.

The belfry at the Church of St Hilda on Whitby West Cliff seemed an ideal location since the church has never had any bells in the tower.

With the co-operation of the church, 12 boxes were attached to the louvres, ready for the swifts arriving back from Africa at the end of April.

The team visited the belfry several times to plan the project and measure up before taking all the necessary wood and equipment on installation day – quite

a feat up a long spiral staircase and then up a tall vertical ladder!

A grid of 12 wooden nest-boxes, specially constructed by Richard Scullion, were attached to the louvres inside with small entrance holes for the swifts to fly into.

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 and it is wonderful that the church officials have enthusiastically offered their help and support.

Thanks to the many people who made this happen.

For more information join the Whitby Swifts Facebook Group.