A Dawlish carpenter has been recognised for his ‘remarkable dedication to swifts’ and ‘wide reaching work’ after winning the Individual Inspiration Wild About Devon Award.
Jerry Horn, who set up the Devon Swift Project, said he was ‘surprised’ by the award but was pleased that the project and the swifts had received acknowledgement.
‘They really are an amazing species, which deserve our effort and support now that they are a red listed species,’ Jerry noted.
Swifts, who spend most of their lives airborne, come to the UK for around three months to breed. However, numbers have declined by 60% over the last 20 years, mainly due to a lack of nesting sites.
Traditionally, Swifts have nested in the rooftops and crevices of historic buildings, but modern construction and the ‘tidying up’ of older buildings are leaving the birds with fewer safe places to breed.
The Devon Swift Project aims to increase potential nesting sites for the visiting birds, whose arrival typically marks the beginning of summer. This is achieved by installing colony boxes for swifts in church towers, replicating their natural nest sites. The project also hopes to empower individuals and groups to set up their own installations and swift projects.
The Devon Swift Project is funded by Devon Birds, the Devon Environment Foundation and Riverford Farms. ‘I really couldn’t have achieved a quarter of what I have done without them,’ Jerry admitted. ‘It’s a team effort,’ he added extending his thanks to all the projects sponsors and supporters.
Having already installed 43 swift colony boxes in the 620 Devon churches with bell towers, Jerry plans to continue with the installations.
‘Churches provide a safe and secure environment to locate the nestboxes,’ Jerry explained. But he is keen to extend the reach of the project. ‘I’m trying to focus more on the community engagement of what can be achieved for swift conservation. Installing nestboxes on homes and businesses will help address the population decline. Perhaps your readers may be willing to consider doing this before we lose our ‘sound of the summer skies’ altogether.’ Anyone interested can contact Jerry by email info@devonswiftproject.co.uk. The Devon Swift Project also has a crowdfunder for those wishing to offer financial support https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/devon-swifts.
The Wild About Devon award winners were announced at the Devon Local Nature Partnership Conference held at Sandy Park in Exeter at the end of last month.
Over 70 nominations were made across five categories in the awards. Among the winners were Exminster Green Spaces Team, who won the award for ‘Community Wildlife Group’ .
‘We were blown away by the quality of this year’s nominations. It was exciting and moving to learn about the many extraordinary people across Devon who are dedicating their time and efforts to looking out for their local wildlife,’ said Wild About Devon coordinator and awards judge Bridie Kennerley.
