If Swift chicks aren’t fed enough food they crawl out of their nests in a last ditch attempt to survive. Their chances on the ground are slim, unless they’re rescued. This Swift was tended back to life by my friend Linda and released this morning at St Aidan’s (thread)
Rehabbing Swifts is a meticulous process. They have to be carefully fed every 40 minutes during the day. This is Linda of @LeedsSwifts, a genuine #Leeds conservation hero!
Swift numbers have declined 53% in the last 25 years. As older buildings are renovated the holes that Swifts nest in are no longer available. @LeedsSwifts helps people across the city erect nestboxes for these wonderful birds. Read more here: startbirding.co.uk/leeds-swifts/
We’ve had such a cold summer that insect numbers have been low and Swifts have struggled to find enough food to feed their chicks. Linda has had to rehab 10 Swifts this year (plus 3 House Martins). Brood numbers are low, and many chicks haven’t survived
So please consider helping out by erecting some special Swift nest boxes on your house. Leeds Swifts can advise how best to do it: startbirding.co.uk/leeds-swifts/
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Welcome to the Leeds Goth City walking tour. Just to say, the history of the goth rock scene in this city is vast and deep, so this is designed to be a whistle-stop overview. Feel free to jump in with facts or memories of your own.
1. We’ll start at Leeds University’s neo-gothic Great Hall. Andrew Eldritch, soon-to-be frontman of arguably Leeds’ most famous goth band, @_SistersOfMercy, arrived here in 1979 to study Mandarin Chinese. (Please note I have mentioned the correct Sisters of Mercy account).
@_SistersOfMercy 2. St George’s Field is the site of one of the most iconic photos of the Sisters of Mercy (by Tom Sheehan in early 1985), perhaps helping to generate a stereotype of the goth scene, with Eldritch being named ‘the Godfather of Goth’ in the media.