A swift response from Council staff has helped provide new homes amongst homes for a UK bird of high conservation concern.

Work started recently under the direction of the Council’s Biodiversity team to provide extra seasonal housing around the county for Swifts.

Backed by the Welsh Government through the Local Places for Nature grant, the project has set out to install new nesting sites for the birds.

Over 30 new homes have now been placed in Rhyl thanks to support from Denbighshire Housing and its tenants.

Swifts are summer visitors to the UK, flying nearly 3400 miles from a winter in Africa to breed in the UK. They pair for life returning to the same site each time.

The birds like to nest in homes and churches, using small gaps in the roofs. Unfortunately, as older buildings are renovated, roof gaps closed and new builds designed differently, the birds have fast disappeared.

Insects that swifts need to feed their young and refuel for their migrations are dwindling with the loss of habitat such as wildflower areas and freshwater. The Council is working to restore this loss through the management of its Wildflower Meadows Project which has so far created nearly 70 acres of suitable habitat, supporting the regeneration of insect and bird populations.

Despite local and wider work, the swift is currently on the highest conservation priority level on the Red list in the 2021 UK Conservation resulting in urgent action being needed.

Now across Bruton park in Rhyl, 33 new swift boxes have been installed to support the birds when they arrive.

This is alongside work ongoing with schools, churches and office buildings, to supply them with nest boxes to put up on sites to give new and safer nesting sites for the birds.

The Biodiversity Team has hopes to work next with the residents in Ruthin to boost populations of swifts there.

Biodiversity Officer Evie Challinor explained: “It is really important we do all we can to help this under threat bird survive by addressing one of the main reasons for the decline of their populations. These boxes will be fantastic in giving them a home around Bruton Park, right next to the community woodland which will provide them with food to hopefully feed any young ones they produce.”

Emlyn Jones, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, added: “We are grateful to our colleagues in Denbighshire Housing and their residents for this support for the project at Rhyl that will help stabilise local swift populations.”

A sustainable sheep backed solution is paving the way for growth at Henllan’s new Community Nature Space.

Ysgol Henllan pupils recently linked up with Denbighshire Countryside Service rangers and volunteers to shape the new nature site at land behind Meifod Road.

The area is one of four new community nature spaces – alongside similar areas at Rhyl, St Asaph and Clocaenog – that Denbighshire County Council’s Countryside Service and Climate Change teams are creating in the county this year to boost benefits for both local wildlife and residents’ wellbeing.

The Community Nature Spaces work alongside woodland creation work this year at schools across the county has received funding out of an £800,000 grant from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Over 1,700 trees have been planted on the site which will also see new footpaths, a pond, wildflower meadows, a recreation space and picnic area, an insect hibernaculum (aka a “bee bank”) and an outdoor classroom added before the end of this year.

Rangers have now carried out a sustainable and cost-effective method to protect the trees planted on the site by the pupils and volunteers thanks to sheep support from a local farm.

Usually, a layer of mulch is put around a planted sapling to provide nutrients and hold moisture for it as it gets established in the ground.

Countryside Ranger Matt Winstanley explained: “We have picked trailing the use of fleece as a replacement for the mulch as it offers a more eco-friendly and carbon neutral way to support the work we have done here at Henllan.”

“The fleece we put down will release nitrogen into the soil as it biodegrades and holds moisture well in the soil around the trees.

Rangers have also worked with volunteers to create simple wooden pegs at the Willow Collective, to be ready to secure the local fleece in place.

Emlyn Jones, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, added: “This is a fantastic sustainable solution from our Countryside Services to help these new trees grow at Henllan for the benefit of the local community and nature. We are looking forward to seeing the development of the trees over time backed by this sustainable method. “