How Tina's swift actions have helped to save a community of birds

WHEN Tina Mason found a swift chick on her Haslingden doorstep she didn't know it would result in saving a whole colony of endangered birds.

- LOUISE BENTLEY

Tina took the swiftlet to Louise Bentley, a specialist carer in Bolton and the chick was hand-reared and released that autumn to begin its African migration.

The residents of Cedar Avenue had for years been enjoying the swifts, as they screamed across the gardens each summer, performing their breathtaking displays.

Swifts nest in the eaves space of buildings and are extremely faithful to both their nest site and their partner, often pairing for life, up to 10 years, yet only spending three months of every year together. After the summer breeding season, they migrate separately, having a long winter holiday in the sun.