Help Herefordshire's swifts, swallows and martins | Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Help our swifts, swallows and martins

Our high-fliers need your help!

Swifts and house martins were recently added to the UK Red List, having suffered serious declines in recent decades. It is estimated that almost 60% of UK swifts have disappeared over the last 25 years.

Huge declines of insects, habitat loss, and the impacts of climate change – with extreme weather affecting breeding cycles and migration – are the main challenges affecting migratory birds.

How you can help

Swift box illustration

How to build a swift box

Swifts like to leave their nests by dropping into the air from the entrance. This is why they often choose to set up camp in the eaves…

How to make a bog garden

How to make a bog garden

Instead of draining, make the waterlogged or boggy bits of garden work for nature, and provide a valuable habitat.

Brown bird, a swift, flying against a blue sky with white text overlaid

High Fliers Booklet

Download our free guide produced by The Wildlife Trusts and The RHS

Local groups taking action

Swift

Swifts in Hereford City in 2022

A new swift group is monitoring nesting sites in Hereford City.

swift

Leominster Swift Group

Group in Leominster, Herefordshire, helping to monitor and protect swifts

small dark bird in flight against blue sky

Ledbury Swift Project

Surveying swift box activity in Ledbury

Species Info

A swift flying to a nest box attached to the eaves of a cottage with its throat pouch bulging with insects it has caught to feed its chicks

Swift

Swifts spend most of their lives flying – even sleeping, eating and drinking – only ever landing to nest. They like to nest in older…

Barn swallow

Swallow

Look out for the swallow performing great aerial feats as it catches its insect-prey on the wing. You may also see it perching on a wire…

House martin

House martin

As its name suggests, the house martin can be spotted nesting in the eaves of houses in our towns and villages. Its intricate mud nests…

Nest Boxes

If DIY isn't your thing you'll find a selection of next boxes on sale in our shops: Ledbury Charity Shop and Queenswood Visitor Centre.

Alternatively, a selection is available online from our partners Vine House Farm.