Northenden Golf Club will be looking to their members to speed up play as they aim to welcome the arrival of swifts to the club in the coming season!
The club have installed brand-new accommodation at the club for the summer visitors under the inspiration of club member John Dwyer.
Former Lady Captain Hazel Foster said: “John is a member of the South Manchester Swifts Society and he has worked tirelessly on the project and the club is delighted that their building is suitable for encouraging the swifts to nest.
“The whole project is not costing the club a penny, as all of the money has been raised from friends, family and club members.
“It involves the installation by scaffold tower of two large hand-made fibre-glass units containing eight nesting chambers which cost over £200 each and an electronic calling system to attract the birds.
“We are all grateful to John for all his hard work and enthusiasm and now wait hopefully to see them in use.”
John added some facts re swifts: “They have been around for 60 million years, long before humans evolved.
“They are now on the red endangered species, one reason being the shortage of nesting sites.
“This is because they don’t build nests, as other birds do but rely on finding holes in buildings, which are few and far between in modern housing.
“They are unique in the bird world. As they live on the wing, they eat, drink, sleep and mate.
“They return to the UK from Africa in April, flying around 6,000 miles, for just three months and over their lifetime it is estimated that can fly around 250,000 miles.
“We hope the South Manchester swifts will be attracted by our calling system and will find and use our boxes on their return- fingers crossed!”
Copy and images: Geoff Garnett
