News •
March 11, 2026 at 5:29 am
A local care organisation has teamed up with the North Wales Wildlife Trust to save one of Wales’ most threatened birds.
Working with the charity Pendine Park has installed 38 specially designed, hand-built swift nesting boxes at its homes in Summerhill Road and Hillbury Road.
The boxes are part of a conservation drive aimed at reversing a decline in swift numbers, which has decreased by 76% since 1995.
Conservations have added swifts to the Red List of Threatened Species, the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species.
In a bid to halt the decline, the North Wales Wildlife Trust has been working alongside local businesses, schools and the public to install nesting boxes at suitable buildings. The project has received funding and support from the Welsh Government through Wrexham County Borough Council.
The Trust’s Living Landscapes Project Officer, Craig Wade, said: “Swifts are one of the most beautiful sights of summer and their distinctive call is one of the most wonderful sounds of summer.
“For generations they have nested in our towns and cities finding tiny gaps in roofs, or holes in the walls of old buildings.
“But as modern building techniques improve, they often lack gaps under eaves, and as we renovate old properties the number of nesting opportunities has diminished.
“Older buildings are refurbished which has resulted in the sealing off these gaps which swifts might use.
“The result is that they are struggling to find good nesting sites. Our project is designed to help rectify this. We have been looking for suitable buildings where we can install the boxes and help stabilise their decline.
North Wales Wildlife Trust approached Pendine Park because its Summerhill Road site is especially suitable for nest box installations.
“The main building is north facing which is perfect for fledgling swifts, meaning the nests will be warm enough but also shaded from the scorching heat of the sun,” explained Craig.
Craig Wade from North Wales Wildlife Trust with Leah Apostolou and Danny Parsons installing the boxes
Pendine head gardener Andrew Jones said he hoped residents at the care home will have the chance to see swifts nesting at the sites.
“Projects like this are crucial for helping wildlife,” said Andrew.
“We will be keeping a keen eye out for the first signs of any swift activity. It would be fantastic if residents get the chance to see some of the nesting birds and their fledglings.”
The bird boxes commissioned by the Trust, are made from locally sourced Larch and constructed by adults with learning disabilities at Woodland Skills Centre, Bodfari, Denbighshire.
The Trust has been working to help swifts since 2014, calling for legislation change to encourage builders and architects to include swift bricks in new developments in Wales
It has also launched an online ‘Swift Recovery’ page with Cofnod, which holds records of swift sightings, nest boxes success stories and action which can be taken to further protect swifts
Swifts are only seen in Wales and the UK in summer when they migrate here from Africa specifically to nest and raise their young. They arrive in early May and leave in August, making a marathon journey which has become more perilous with every passing year.
Craig said: “They are truly remarkable birds, which spend almost all their lives on the wing. They even eat, sleep and mate in flight. Clocking up millions of air miles in a lifetime as they migrate every year.
“They only ever land for a short time in the summer to nest and raise their young. We are fortunate that they do that right here in Wales.
“But the decline in their numbers is an important signal that they are struggling to find nesting sites and enough insects to feed their chicks. If we don’t act now we could lose this incredible species. That is why providing these nesting boxes is so important, and one way we can help support them.”
More information can be found on the North Wales Wildlife Trust website: https://www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/swifts
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