A group of Swift enthusiasts in Hexham are heading out and about this National Swift Awareness Week.

The group will be surveying swift nest boxes around Hexham, aiming to identify those in use.

Swifts, the migratory birds who travel thousands of miles to breed here each spring, are facing significant threats.

Volunteer Matthew Greening from Hexham Swift Heaven said: "Swifts are remarkable birds spending all their life on the wing only landing to sit on eggs and raise their young.

"They can fly up to 500 miles to find food and have been recorded 2 miles high hunting insects where they can escape bad weather."

Mr Greening also highlighted the dangers swifts face, which have led to a significant drop in their numbers: "Our swifts are in trouble.

"Climate change, fewer nesting sites and the loss of insect food means their number are plummeting.

"Since 1995 they have declined by 62% in the UK and by a terrible 78% in the North East."

Over the last three years, Hexham Swift Heaven, a Hexham Space 4 Nature project, has put up more than 70 nest boxes of various designs throughout the town.

Speaking of this year's specific goals, Mr Greening explained: "We are going to be out in the evenings surveying some of those boxes to see if they are being used.

"We will also be noting those so-called screaming parties where the birds group together and tear around like aerial acrobats screeching loudly.

"If you see us in your street please come and say hello and share in the wonder of these amazing birds who need our help if they are not to disappear from our skies."