UK homeowners urged to create insect-friendly habitats in their gardens to feed endangered birds

Homeowners across Britain are being urged to install nesting boxes and create garden habitats for the insects in a bid to increase the numbers of swallows, swifts and martins across the UK.

The aim is to attract more migratory birds each summer after swifts and house swifts were recently added to the UK’s red list of threatened birds.

Experts say they have suffered a severe decline amid a significant drop in insect numbers, habitat loss and extreme weather caused by climate change.

It is estimated that almost 60% of UK swifts have disappeared in the last 25 years.

The new plea for gardeners is part of a joint initiative by the Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society.

In their new ‘Wild about Highflyers’ campaign, the charities are giving homeowners advice on how to help swallows, swifts and swifts, including creating a bog garden with plants such as marsh bedstraw and purple loosestrife for providing insect habitat and nest building. Equipment.

Simply letting a patch of grass grow provides vital habitat and food for insects, which birds feed on, and other wildlife, the groups said.

Not only that, but homeowners can add a Quick Box to an existing home or include a Quick Brick – which builds nesting accommodation into the walls under the eaves – in a new property, to provide birds with a place to breed. their young.

Experts say fast boxes are best placed facing north/northeast to help regulate internal temperature and located at least 16 feet (5 meters) above the ground.

Dr Rob Stoneman, Director of Landscape Recovery at Wildlife Trusts, said: “Swifts, swallows and martins are some of our most iconic breeding birds.

“Watching and hearing these creatures soar through the sky is an uplifting sight and an experience that leaves you totally in awe of nature.”

“Unfortunately, these birds – like much of our wildlife – have suffered serious declines in recent decades due to habitat loss and a drop in the number of insects, which are affected by pollution, impacts of development and climate change.

He added: “With a little diversity and structure, a garden can become a haven for all kinds of wildlife, providing nesting sites, shelter and food.

“It’s about being creative, ditching all the chemicals and letting things go a little wild.”

Helen Bostock, Senior Wildlife Specialist at RHS, said: “Anyone lucky enough to share their home with swallows, swifts or house swallows will understand how magical these birds are.”

However, she warned the birds were vulnerable, with the number of returns each summer decreasing year on year.

“The UK’s 30 million gardeners have an important role to play in helping to revive their populations – from adapting planting choices to include insect favorites and embracing barren plots in favor of building nests, people can make small-scale changes that will reap big rewards,” the wildlife expert added.