BOURNEMOUTH Water has installed 20 new swift boxes in a bid to halt an alarming fall in the bird’s numbers. 

The new boxes have been installed at the company’s Knapp Mill water treatment works near Christchurch and it’s hoped they will create a corridor for the swifts along the River Avon. 

An insect decline in recent decades, largely due to the use of pesticides and insecticides, has negatively impacted bird species that feed on them.  

These birds have also traditionally nested in the eaves of houses, but modern building practices tend to block off these areas. 

It has led to an estimated 60 per cent decline in swift numbers in the UK since 1995, according to the British Trust for Ornithology, and they’re now on its conservation red list. 

This project, in conjunction with Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group, offers swifts an alternative nesting habitat.  

By encouraging them to the area, it also helps to reduce the number of midges at Knapp Mill without the need for chemical controls. 

Gemma Morgan, Bournemouth Water’s environment officer, said: “The decline in swifts over recent decades is a concern, so this project offers them important new nesting opportunities around Knapp Mill. 

“We also know that midges thrive around the treatment works, so encouraging more swifts to the site also provides us with an opportunity to naturally control insect numbers – a great nature-based solution.” 

Gina Lawrie, engagement lead at Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Bournemouth Water to increase nesting opportunities for our beloved swifts, who bring spectacular aerial action and excitement to our urban lives. 

“Swifts breed from Ireland to Beijing, from the Mediterranean and the Middle East right up to the Arctic, and they are in decline everywhere. Unless we address swift nesting needs urgently, their population will decline even further.”