TWO young swifts have been rescued in Ludlow and been taken to the Cuan Wildlife Rescue centre.

Swifts, often cited as the ‘sound of summer’ are now on the Red List of endangered birds in the UK and the two young birds will be fed and looked after at Cuan before hopefully being released back into the wild.

The swifts that arrived here at the start of May will soon be migrating south.

The recent hot weather has meant that chicks have been leaping from their nest sites before they are ready to fly and there have been people across the country finding swift chicks.

They are hard to feed and need a specialist diet and it is forunate to have Cuan Wildlife rescue in Much Wenlock who can care for these birds until they are ready to fly.

The guidance is that if anyone finds a bird in trouble, put it into a box and seek professional advice.

Swift numbers are declining around the country, partly because of a loss of natural nest sites as people replace their roofs and seal up their eaves.

In Ludlow, a group of volunteers have been putting up nest boxes in suitable locations to encourage more of these beautiful and rare birds. Because swifts nest high up, it’s been a challenge to get the boxes safely secured and there are more still to go up.

“If anyone has a cherry picker, is a dab hand at DIY and has a bit of time to spare, there are a few more boxes we could put up around town,” says Liz Hyder, a lifelong bird fan, who now has a pair of swifts nesting in her bird box.

Swifts winter in Africa and so make the journey of more than 3,000 miles twice a year with brief stop offs in southern Europe.

The ability to fly at speeds approaching 70mph, making them the fastest bird in level flight helps them to cope with these huge journeys.

They spend most of their lives in the wing, including eating and sleeping.

A forked tail and angled wings make them relatively easy to identify.

To help help, please contact liz@lizhyder.co.uk. For general information and advice on swifts, contact shropshireswifts@gmail.com