Usk County Hall has six-metre swift tower installed
The tower, which was installed at the Incredible Edible community garden, has bird boxes for up to 12 pairs of swifts.
It will provide additional nesting spaces for swifts and other urban nature, to help address the long-term loss of traditional nest sites in buildings.
The tower will also serve as a piece of art to inform residents and visitors about the declining urban bird.
The swift population in the UK has declined by 58 per cent since 1995, with a 75 per cent decline in Wales.
They have recently been put on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.
Swifts mostly nest in buildings, but renovations and demolitions have caused them to lose their nesting sites.
The swift tower is one way to help these birds.
Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) has a Local Nature Recovery Action Plan to help reverse the decline in biodiversity.
Councillor Catrin Maby, cabinet member for climate change and the environment, said: "Swifts are on the red list due to declining numbers and so it is vital that we do what we can to support them.
"This swift tower is an excellent way to ensure that we continue to see breeding pairs at County Hall for many years to come.
"Hopefully it can prove to be a small step towards the recovery of swift populations in the near future."
Monmouthshire County Council hopes to support further swift project work through the Welsh Government Local Places for Nature funding during 2025-2027.
Anyone who would like to find out more or get involved, can email LocalNature@Monmouthshire.gov.uk.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- South Wales Argus
£70m net-zero carbon school officially opens in Abergavenny
King Henry VIII 3-19 School in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, is the first operationally net-zero carbon all-through school in Wales. Funded by Monmouthshire County Council and the Welsh Government through the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, the project marks a major investment in sustainable education. Cllr Laura Wright, Monmouthshire County Council's cabinet member for education, said: "This building is more than bricks and mortar. "It's a beacon for a modern education system in Wales, designed to inspire, to nurture, and to empower our young people." An official opening took place on July 10 and was attended by Welsh Government cabinet secretary for education Lynne Neagle. Ms Neagle said: "As our first operationally net-zero carbon all-through school, not only will our learners benefit from high-quality facilities, but they will also benefit from learning in a sustainable school environment. "What has been achieved here is truly inspiring for our learners." The school's through-school strategy was showcased with performances from pupils of all ages. Monmouthshire County Council was also named Client of the Year at the Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards for its leadership on the project. The council will now represent Wales at the UK National Awards later this year.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Scotsman
Here's why birds and insects are disappearing all across Scotland
Intensive farming, involving greater pesticide and fertiliser use, pollution and the resulting deterioration of farmland habitats have wreaked havoc on our wildlife but some farmers offer genuine hope for the future Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... By day, the bright purple lavender was awash with bees, the sound of their humming strong and constant in the heat of the sun. White butterflies gently floated above the fragrant flowers and swallows glided on the winds, silhouetted against the bluest of skies. By night, a thousand sparks of bright light danced and fluttered along the hedges and up into the field and along the wooded hillside. Fireflies resembling little embers of magic or fairies weaving spells between the leaves and grasses – enchanting and beautiful, but too dark to make out properly, celestial bodies producing a wondrous symphony of light. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Such was the miracle of nature, witnessed in a rarely touched garden wilderness. 'Then I returned to England,' a friend said disappointedly. She had come back from Italy after a few days break which served as a harsh reminder of the loss of biodiversity in her own garden. READ MORE: Thousands of acres of new native woods planned for Highlands community estate A murmuration of starlings near Gretna in 2016. The species is on the UK Red List following a sharp decline in the breeding population since the 1960s (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images Shifting baseline syndrome It showed how declines in the natural world can become normalised and barely recognised. How quickly we forget what thriving biodiversity should look like. How we grow accustomed to the loss and give scant thought to our surroundings. It's called 'shifting baseline syndrome' and, as a result, the scale of loss becomes invisible to subsequent generations – unless we receive a powerful reminder of a flourishing ecosystem. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I'm of a generation that remembers the multitude of insects that would cover car windscreens following a drive, the difficulty of removing them from the headlights and number plate. Not so nowadays. The stats are sobering. The latest survey has revealed that the number of insects found on vehicle number plates has plummeted by 63 per cent since 2021. This new data shows a decrease in insect splats across the UK, with the sharpest fall of 65 per cent recorded in Scotland. According to the United Nations, the rate of extinction among insects is now happening eight times faster than mammals, birds, and reptiles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Insect populations are a vital source of food for many birds (Picture: Christopher Furlong) | Getty Images War on wildlife These declines are mirrored in our birdlife, for which one out of every six birds has been lost since 1980. That adds up to the loss of 600 million breeding birds over 40 years. Industrial farming is largely to blame. The falls in Europe are widely accepted as being driven by agricultural intensification involving greater pesticide and fertiliser use, pollution and the resulting deterioration of farmland habitats. Keeping large numbers of farmed animals crammed and confined sparked off a new and more deadly form of bird flu which, according to the United Nations has created a perfect storm, wiping out hundreds of millions of birds worldwide. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Taking wildlife as a whole, there has been a catastrophic 73 per cent decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020), according to WWF's Living Planet Report 2024 . The report warns that parts of our planet are approaching dangerous tipping points driven by the combination of nature loss and climate change which pose grave threats to humanity. Never before has it been so vital for us all to save, not just wildlife, but humanity too. We are all connected. Thankfully, investments are being made in nature-based solutions which give reason great for hope. Bringing nature back In accord with the need to transform our food systems and transition to nature-friendly, sustainable practices, Lynbreck Croft in the Cairngorms National Park is an award winning, multi-enterprise, food-producing business that is firmly rooted in farming with nature and high animal welfare principles. Owners Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer now produce a diverse range of food from eggs and pork to beef and honey. Recognising that land and animals are our most valuable and essential assets, Lynn and Sandra use regenerative grazing principles, prioritising soil health with a goal to increase biodiversity. They have planted 30,000 native trees and choose animals that are suited to the local climate and natural forage. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Another such example can be found on the east coast of Suffolk, where a family business has established the internationally successful Dingley Dell Pork brand. Animal welfare, taste and sustainability remain the philosophical pillars and foundations of their farm. Rather than simply planting grass to stabilise soil, they saw an opportunity to create pollinator-rich habitats that would not only support farming but would also enhance biodiversity. They have fulfilled their ambition to bring back a million bees by planting 338,000 square metres (about 83 football pitches) of flowers including phacelia and other nectar mixes in blocks around the farm. A single square metre can contain ten to 12 bumblebees. Hope is growing The Wiston Estate in West Sussex shows what long-term biodiversity investment can look like on the ground. With a belief in creating a place where people, nature and enterprise can coexist and flourish, the estate has recently appointed its first full-time ecologist, Penny Green, formerly of the famous Knepp wildlife conservation and rewilding project. Her appointment reflects a growing shift in how forward-thinking estates are putting biodiversity at the centre of strategy. All of which shows us that hope is not only possible but growing. From family farms to rewilding estates and regenerative crofting, people are showing that a different path is not only necessary but achievable. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Country diary: An urban habitat that is good for birds works for humans too
My participation in the British Trust for Ornithology's annual breeding bird survey has, until this year, meant a longish drive out of Belfast to record the species at a rural site. This year, however, I was offered an urban site close to home. Its route led me along a variety of streets, some with well-established gardens and mature trees. Swifts screamed across a blue sky, goldfinches flashed through the foliage and blackbird song was a constant refrain. As expected, I recorded fewer species than in the countryside, but some species, like the goldfinch, were more abundant. Birds don't demarcate the city from the countryside. While many species are long established in Europe's cities, studies have shown that birds are quick to adapt to newer urbanised areas too. Indeed, it's arguable that wherever a bird can make a living is its 'natural' habitat. Songbirds like the goldfinch can thrive on ample sources of food, including those offered by feeders and bird tables. Buildings can provide nooks and crannies for cavity nesters like the swift. Because many urban birds, like the blackbird, are originally woodland species, the biggest factor in avian urban success is the interconnectedness of patches of vegetation – a city's gardens, trees, parks and cemeteries. I was reminded of that on a recent humid evening when I met a small group of activists at an open-air cafe in the harbour to talk about how we could contribute towards Belfast becoming a national park city (NPC). It's an idea that has been gathering momentum thanks to the vision and commitment of its advocates. As we leaned into our conversation, Conor McKinney from the environmental group Wild Belfast, unfolded an eye-catching map of London, which became the world's first NPC in 2019. It was a mosaic of variegated green and made me feel a little giddy. As wild places continue to diminish and fragment, an NPC that provides a good home for birds holds out the promise of being a lasting home for us too. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
