The Swifts in Woking nest boxes.
The rallying cry has been answered by the residents of Woking to support the common swift in efforts to halt the severe decline to their numbers. As part of the Swifts in Woking project, ThamesWey teamed up with several local community groups; Surrey Family Services, Woking Community Furniture Project and Horsell Common Preservation Society to coordinate nest box building workshops.
The result was a resounding success, almost 150 handcrafted nest boxes are ready for the swifts this summer and can be found across the borough.
These nest boxes will be vital for supporting these incredible migratory birds, as they can replace lost nesting sites and provide secure homes for swifts to safely raise their fledglings. This will help towards building back up our swift population and strengthen their resilience against threats such as habitat loss, insect decline and climate change, allowing them to thrive once again.
The span of our nest boxes. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The good news doesn’t stop there, ThamesWey Developments have incorporated a dozen subtle swift bricks into a brand new ThamesWey residence and there are more on the way, bolstering the number of nesting sites for this endangered species even further.
As well as building nest boxes, the Swifts in Woking project is asking residents to report sightings of these birds, click here to see the swift sightings so far.
Swifts can be seen throughout the whole of Woking, ranging from Knaphill to Byfleet. So keep your eyes peeled for our summer visitors and if you do spot a swift, then please do let our friends at the Surrey Bird Club know: conservation@surreybirdclub.org.uk