A village community scheme to set up swift nesting boxes has had a successful take-off.

A group of residents, led by Susan Bratchley as part of the Buckland Monachorum Nature Group, has taken wing and generated funding, inspiring volunteers to build 27 nesting boxes for Buckland Monachorum, Crapstone, Dousland and Horrabridge.

The boxes are designed to be put up on houses in the villages to help the fastest bird in level flight in the UK colonise the area as its population undergoes a steady decline.

Susan's enthusiasm for the swift, which is on the endangered Red List, began after she bought a nesting box two years ago. She has since been actively seeking new homes and funding.

She has raised £945 and has been supported by Yelverton Rotary Club, West Devon Borough councillors Ric Cheadle and Alastair Cunningham from their sustainable communities localities funds and contributions from the public through donations, with or without buying a box.

The charity Tavistock Men in Sheds’ woodworking group has also been making the boxes, to keep costs down. Nest boxes were also donated by the Natural History Book Service and timber for making more boxes donated by Tinhay and Jewsons.

Sammy Fraser, from charity Butterfly Conservation and a volunteer for the Buckland Monachorum Nature Group, thanked everyone who has contributed including local residents. The boxes include a recording of swift calls, which attract birds to colonise them and Sue’s box has seen a pair nest and chicks born.

Sammy said the fledgling nesting box project began with only a small group: “Four of us residents in Buckland worked with the parish council to make the village green more biodiverse through No Mow May, which means not cutting the grass for a month to encourage more diverse plants to survive and attract pollinating insects.''

“The swift project has been a great project to work on as it’s an easy way for everyone to help tackle the steep declines in our local wildlife. Not everyone will have a house suitable for swifts, but everyone can still help them by creating habitats for our native insects.

“We hope that local councils will choose not to use chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides which are harmful to people and insects. People can also choose to go chemical free in their gardens.''

If anyone wants to find out more or get advice on how to work with their local councils, please contact Sammy on [email protected]

This community project follows a separate installation of swift nest boxes on Princetown Church church tower by the Devon Swift Project last year.

Princetown Church was chosen because the tower roof makes an ideal safe high-up place for swifts to nest without disturbance, giving them a bird’s-eye view of their Dartmoor feeding ground.

Jerry Horn, Devon Swift Project coordinator, said: “Swifts are a wonderful species which are amazing agile fliers.”

Princetown used to have breeding swifts and it is hoped they will return. The Princetown Swift Project fits in with the volunteer churchyard maintenance group’s work, creating a home for wildlife by planting insect-friendly plants.