Conservationists aim to save Derbyshire's swifts

Swifts eat, drink, sleep, mate and preen all while flying

Derbyshire conservationists are pushing housebuilders to install specialised nesting bricks for swifts - one of the UK's most endangered birds.

The bricks are hollow and provide a home for the high-flying birds.

The number of swifts in the UK is declining rapidly, having fallen by 65% in the past 25 years.

This week, it was recommended 16 swift bricks be installed in a planned retirement apartment block in Chesterfield Road, Matlock.

The Derbyshire Swift Conservation Project (DSCP), run by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with the Derbyshire Ornithological Society, aims to raise awareness of the declining species.

The DCSP's main aim, which is now increasingly included in planning applications for new housing, is to see developers install the so-called "swift bricks" in homes.

The swift is the fastest level-flying bird in the world, at 69.3 mph

Nick Brown, who leads the Derbyshire Swift Conservation Project, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that if nothing is done "there probably won't be any swifts in 30 years".

He added: "Swifts of course cannot get into the house itself and they leave very little mess either in the box or down the wall outside - often people don't even realise they have swifts nesting."

In May 2021, the DSCP recommended a number of swift boxes should be installed in homes planned off Park Road in Swadlincote.

It also asked for swift boxes to be installed on a planned apartment block in Derby city centre in 2020.

The swift bricks can be bought for around £30 or £40 each and do not need maintenance or replacement and are installed high in the eaves of buildings, out of direct sunlight.