AN EVENING was hosted at the 18th Wyre Forest Arley Kings Cub Pack last week to teach the youngsters all about swifts.
The event was held by Clair Amos on behalf of Swift Friends Wyre Forest and Vel McMillan from Food Share Wyre Forest and Community Cafe at the Walshes Community Cafe.
The session also coincided with Swift Awareness Week which ran from June 28 to July 6 and aims to encourages groups around the country to celebrate these feathered friends, highlight their declining numbers and encourage action to protect them. The youngsters found out all about swifts and what they could do to help the birds.
They were all given a pack of information to take home and spread the word and were treated to an ice cream afterwards by volunteers Christine and Rebecca.
They planted some plants in the community garden and two swift boxes were also installed by volunteer Harley on the community centre adjacent to the community garden. This included a swift caller in a bid to attract some young breeding swifts to come and make their homes there.
Swift Awareness Week was first held in 2018 by groups around the country and is now an annual event.
Swifts are currently listed as red on the UK’s birds of conservation concern list which indicates they are a high conservation priority. Swift numbers in the UK have dropped dramatically by 66 per cent between 1995 and 2022.
They rely on nesting sites in buildings and the loss of suitable places, especially in older buildings, has added to their decline, along with a drop in insect populations which are the swifts’ primary food source.
People can visit the ‘Swift Friends Wyre Forest’ Facebook page or visit: swift-conservation.org or actionforswifts.blogspot.com for more information on swifts locally and nationally.
