Shirebrook Valley Embraces Swifts: Innovative Bricks Provide Safe Nesting Spaces

In a proactive effort to support the declining swift population, the Sheffield Swift Network has installed innovative nesting bricks on 61 properties in the Hackenthorpe and Woodhouse areas of Shirebrook Valley. The project, which received £7,000 in council funding, including a £5,000 grant from the local authority's Species Survival Community Fund, aims to provide safe and suitable nesting spaces for the endangered birds.

Swifts, which spend nine months of the year in flight, migrating from Sub-Saharan Africa to the UK to breed in early May, have seen a significant decline in their population. In 2020, they were added to the UK's red list of birds most in need of conservation, with their numbers dropping by 66% between 1995 and 2022. The project leader, Ann Ellis, explains that modern building and insulation techniques have blocked many of the birds' traditional nesting spaces, forcing them to adapt and often leading to tragic consequences.

The installation of the specially designed bricks, which mimic the natural crevices in which swifts nest, is a crucial step in preserving the species. Councillor Kurtis Crossthorn, chair of the communities, parks and leisure committee at Sheffield City Council, praised the work of the Sheffield Swift Network, calling it "a brilliant example of how communities can make a real difference - not just for wildlife, but for the future of our planet."