Nesting boxes installed to help swift population

Nesting boxes have been put up around a borough to try and help swifts thrive.

North Tyneside Council has installed 28 boxes to try and tackle the birds' depleting numbers.

The swift population in the North East has fallen by more than 50% since 2012, the local authority says.

Councillor Sandra Graham said the council was "hopeful that any swifts making a home here this season will return next year".

The nesting boxes are now on buildings across North Tyneside, thanks to donations from local businesses.

Swifts eat and sleep while flying, but they need a safe place to breed.

The council hopes the new residents will soon move in to the nesting boxes, which are at places like Tynemouth Pool, the Rising Sun Visitor Centre in Wallsend, and The Parks Leisure Centre in North Shields.

As the birds mate for life and return to the same nest sites every year, the RSPB's Alasdair Mckee confirmed the boxes were a "great way to develop a community of swifts".

Ms Graham, who is North Tyneside Council's cabinet member for the climate emergency, said increasing the biodiversity of the area was "so important in contributing to a greener North Tyneside".

Follow BBC North East on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].