Engineers Provide Swift Response to Conservation Concerns

Engineers from our Ludlow depot have installed three specialist nest boxes to help boost the struggling swift population in Shropshire.

The uPVC nest boxes were positioned at the recommended height of over five metres, using a cherry picker that’s more often seen working on our overhead electricity network.

The birds were once a familiar sight and sound in summer thanks to their high speed group fly pasts but are now on the red list of Birds of Conservation Concern, with numbers falling by more than 60% nationally since 1995.

The installation is part of a community project to provide additional nest spaces following a lost of nest sites on buildings and a decline in insect numbers.

Swifts are dependent on our built environment to find a nest site. Often, this is a crevice, hole or place under the eaves. Once found, birds are faithful to the nest site for life.

Anyone wanting to know more about swifts or offer a nest box site in Tenbury or the surrounding area can contact Janet at tenburyswifts@gmail.com.