Swift-Boxes Installed In bid To Boost Threatened Bird Population
Written by HFM News on 31st May 2024
Special bird boxes have been installed in and around Market Harborough in a bid to boost the population of swifts.
The birds have been in sharp decline across the UK, with numbers more than halving in recent years.
Boxes have been placed at Robert Smyth Academy, Harborough Leisure Centre, The Village, Foxton Locks and on some houses, as part of Leicestershire County Council’s ‘Swift Action For Swifts’ project.
Jools and Julie Partridge of Pear Tree Ecology during the installation of swift boxes at Harborough Leisure Centre
Over 130 boxes have been installed across the county together with an electronic bird-calling system, which plays audio mimicking Swifts to attract them to the space.
The council was awarded £77,000 from Natural England for the two-year project.
Lucie Hoelmer is the Senior Environmental Partnership Officer helping to lead the scheme:
The council is keen to install more swift boxes across Harborough and anyone interested in having one at their home or other property should email environmentteam@leics.gov.uk
