“Swifts and House Martins are such a part of a British summer, but they may not have a future if we don’t help them”. So said Hayley Garrod, from Chirk Swifts and House Martins when she came to speak to Borderland Rotary Club and explained how in small ways, we can make life easier for these wonderful symbols of our summer.
“But it’s not just Swifts and House Martins, it’s Swallows and Sand Martins as well,” said Hayley, “Although we take it for granted that they will return each year, our changing building techniques and climate make it harder for them to establish lasting nests”.
Hayley set up the local community group, Chirk Swifts and House Martins in 2021, having seen the colony of Swifts nesting in Chirk aqueduct and began a community monitoring and engagement project. She has also worked with other groups to design and build nesting boxes that fit neatly onto houses to attract the birds.
Hayley continued,
“Making and installing affordable nest boxes was where Chirk Swifts and House Martins really started. Since 2021, we have created over 150 nesting spaces for Swifts in the local area – but it’s not just boxes, we also make an electronic bird call device that encourages the birds to have a look – bear in mind that Swifts only land in their nests – so will be viewing these potential properties at around 30mph! We have had some great success with these”.
Hayley explained that monitoring nest sites is one of our most important jobs in the summer. Swifts and House Martins are faithful to their nest sites, and we owe it to them to preserve their nests for years to come.
“Our latest project is to create a large nesting box which we hope will be home to many Sand Martins on the Aston Nature Reserve, beside the Montgomery canal, near Queen’s Head, Oswestry. Sand Martins like to nest in sandy river or canal banks but, these habitats are becoming increasingly hard to find. We are currently halfway to our target of £3.5k and hope to have volunteers installing the box early next year.”
If you’d like to get involved, go to www.chirkswiftsandhousemartins.com
JustGiving: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/astonsandmartins
Feature image: Hayley Garrod with Borderland president Brian Ashton
