Swifts Find a New Home at Moreton Hall

General

Moreton Hall has taken an exciting step in supporting local wildlife, with pupils creating and installing six new swift nest boxes during Bird Box Week.

The project was inspired by a visit from Hayley Garrod of the Chirk Swift Group, who spoke to Farm Club last term about these remarkable birds. Pupils were fascinated to learn more about swifts, which return to the UK each year to breed and spend much of their lives on the wing, even collecting food and nesting materials while flying.

Having spotted swifts swooping around the school amphitheatre each summer, pupils already knew the birds were part of life at Moreton. Learning that swift numbers are declining, largely because of a lack of suitable nesting spaces, gave them a clear sense of purpose: they wanted to help.

Using expert guidance from Hayley, the group began by looking at examples of effective nest box designs. Mr Humphreys then helped prepare the materials in DT, cutting the wood to the correct sizes before Farm Club took over. Armed with screws and screwdrivers, pupils worked together to build six boxes, each carefully designed with an entrance hole large enough for a swift, but too small for larger birds that might otherwise take over the nest site.

Once the boxes were complete, the next challenge was finding a way to install them high on a school building. Support came from Aubrey Evans and his colleagues from BT Openreach, who arrived with a cherry picker to help position the boxes along the wall of the school library at roof height.

To give the swifts the best possible chance of settling in, Hayley also placed nesting material inside each box and provided a swift call system, which can be used in May to attract the birds when they return. As swifts naturally nest in colonies, the sound of other birds can help encourage them to investigate new nesting spots.

The school is now looking forward to seeing whether any returning swifts choose to make the new boxes their home this summer. Pupils and staff alike will be keeping watch over the coming weeks, hoping to spot the birds darting and gliding above the grounds once again.

Moreton Hall extends its thanks to Hayley, Aubrey, Dave and Andy, as well as Mr Humphreys, for helping to make the school an even more swift-friendly place.