A huge thanks to our volunteer - Sue Colver - for this guest blog!
When I retired to Darley Dale over four years ago, I was so excited to see Swifts flying over my back garden and to hear the glorious sound of screaming parties, yet alone to witness their wonderful, mesmerizing aerobatic displays.
I was so keen to find a local Swift conservation group and lo and behold, in Broadwalk where I live, was a Swift colony and it appeared that Darley Dale was a hotspot for Swifts living and breeding in the area.
This coming year will be my third year of surveying and recording Swift nest sites as part of the Derbyshire Swift Conservation Group which I have very much enjoyed. Just recently, I was given the opportunity to have five Swift bricks installed. What a privilege and so exciting!
It was a dry day, thankfully, and due to Jan, the Swift brick installer’s sterling efforts, the end result was five extremely neat and perfectly matching bricks. Fantastic!
A huge thank you to Dr Claire Mead (Derbyshire Dales Swift Project Co-ordinator), Andy Broadhurst (Trustee), Mick Hardwick (Trustee), Jan-Erik (Swift Brick Installer) and Gary (Swift Brick Maker at Action for Swifts). All played a part in making this happen.
I very much look forward to the Swifts’ return and the prospect of some moving in to their new abodes – whenever that may happen!
Sue's Swift Bricks were installed as part of Derbyshire Dales Swift Project which is installing boxes and bricks in 5 Swift hotspots: Bradwell, Darley Dale, Tideswell, Wirksworth and Youlgreave. The project is made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Breedon Group. If you live in one of these villages and would like to find out more, please complete our expression of interest form: https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/nest-box