OXFORD is to become England's
first "Swift City" under a major project by the RSPB.
The charity has been given
£83,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to lead a two-year project to maintain
swift nesting sites in the city and add 300 further sites onto new and existing
buildings.
The iconic migrating bird, which
lands only to breed and can fly 560 miles a day, nests almost exclusively in
urban areas, but numbers in the UK have fallen by 38 per cent since 1994.
One possible cause of the decline
is thought to be loss of nesting sites as old buildings are renovated and new
builds do not include spaces for them to nest.
The RSPB project will research
Oxford’s present swift populations and nest sites and work with builders and
planners to maintain them and create 300 new sites on buildings.
Starting in January, the RSPB
will work alongside partners including Oxford
University, The Oxford University Museum
of Natural History, Oxford
City Council, Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre,
Environment Resources Management and the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust
(BBOWT).
As part of the scheme a showpiece
"Swift Tower" is planned which will combine new nest site with a
public art project.
But the charity has said it will
need volunteers to help monitor swift numbers.
Charlotte Kinnear, local RSPB
Conservation Officer, said: "Like much urban wildlife, swifts are under
pressure in the UK.
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