Swifts are being celebrated in the Dales and South Lakeland

Two swift boxes and cameras that were installed last year at Settlebeck School, Sedbergh, are both in use – with chicks expected to hatch any day now. There are three eggs in one nest and two eggs in the other.

Meanwhile, all four internal nest bricks installed in the People’s Hall are also occupied by pairs of swifts. A total of 120 nest boxes and internal nest bricks have been put up in Sedbergh and the surrounding area since the project started in 2015.

The news comes on the eve of the United Kingdom's first ever Swift Awareness Week which runs from June 16 to 23.

Four events will be taking place in the national park during the week, including a Swift Celebration Evening next Tuesday at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Sedbergh.

Many shops and businesses in the town will have swift bunting in their windows and the cafes will be selling swift biscuits. The craft workshop will have displays of swifts made from basket willow, as well as woven and appliqué designs. Swift mugs commissioned with our own unique design will be available.

Meanwhile, all four internal nest bricks installed in the People’s Hall are also occupied by pairs of swifts. A total of 120 nest boxes and internal nest bricks have been put up in Sedbergh and the surrounding area since the project started in 2015.

Other events taking place include a "swift stroll" in Kirkby Stephen on Monday (June 18) from the Market Square at 8pm, which will be led by Tanya and Edmund Hoare, of Sedbergh Community Swifts.

There is also an opportunity to see a colony of swifts at Pixel Mill, Kendal Business Park, off Appleby Road, on Monday, from 8pm to 9pm. It is a free weather dependent event organised by Kendal Swifts. Call Rosalind Taylor (01539 741943) for more details.

And on Saturday June 23, from 8pm, there is a swift watching event at Lowgill where there is a colony of 20 pairs. Call 01539 824043 for details.

Tanya Hoare from the Sedbergh Community Swift Group said: “This year the swifts were late. Usually they come in the first week of May, and we spotted the first swift in Sedbergh on the 5th of May. But it wasn’t until the 19th of May when they came in any great number. We had a mass influx coinciding with the nice weather – and they were very exuberant.

“Nationally swifts are fast disappearing from our skies. Numbers have fallen by 51 per cent in the past twenty years. The problem is that swifts are faithful to their nest sites and householders and developers aren’t aware that swifts are nesting in nooks and crannies inside the eaves. Buildings are re-roofed, refurbished or demolished and when pairs of swifts return to breed in May, they find their nesting places have disappeared.

“What the ‘Save Our Swifts’ project has shown is that with a little bit of help and awareness from local people, colonies can establish and thrive. These birds – and their ‘screaming parties’ – bring great pleasure.”

Andrea Burden, Sustainable Development Fund officer at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA), said: “It is very exciting to see the results of the ‘Save Our Swifts’ project. Seeing the swifts hurtle about has been one of the highlights of the spring. The nest boxes and bricks, and all the awareness-raising activity such as the cameras at Settlebeck School, have made a huge difference to the swift conservation effort in the Sedbergh area.

The “Save Our Swifts’ project received £4,760 from the Sustainable Development Fund. It has also received support from the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the Sedbergh Community Fund. SDF grants are on offer to individuals, businesses or community groups – and projects can be wide-ranging. The fund has £175,000 to award this financial year and applications are being welcomed

Senior Wildlife Conservation Officer at the YDNPA, Tony Sergeant, added: “The Sedbergh Community Swift Group is doing a great job. It would be fantastic if their work could inspire other people, so that we might have swift groups forming across the National Park.

“I’d like to hear from people who have seen large parties of swifts feeding over Dales villages and towns. That could help us to identify areas where it would be worth putting up more swift boxes.”

Such sightings can be reported by emailing Tony and the wildlife team at: wildlifeconservation@yorkshiredales.org.uk