My name is Daniel but I will let my daughter tell this story:

My name is Mollie and I am 14 years old. I live in Hillsborough, a village in Northern Ireland where every April Swifts arrive after travelling all the way from Africa to make their nests.

They nest high up in roofs, old stone walls, churches, and under the eaves of houses. But as buildings are renovated and new houses are built without suitable spaces for them, their nesting places are disappearing. Their numbers are declining, and many people do not even realise it is happening.

As part of my Duke of Edinburgh Award, I am volunteering with the local swift conservationist here in Hillsborough, alongside my dad, Daniel, who is an industrial designer. Together, we are building a swift nest box that follows conservation guidelines, but with something extra.

We want to create a smart nest.

The nest will include a small camera, a speaker, and climate sensors. Speakers are often used in conservation projects to play swift calls and attract birds to new nesting sites. However, these systems are usually difficult to manage and cannot be easily adjusted once installed.

Our idea is to connect the nest to an app.

With the app, you will be able to control the speaker schedule remotely. When the camera detects a swift arriving, you will receive a notification. Once the nest is occupied, the call can be turned off immediately so we do not disturb them. From then on, the camera allows careful monitoring the nest without interfering.

We also want to add something bigger.

Through the app, people will be able to register existing swift nests. For example, if you see a nest in the church in Hillsborough, you can take a photo. The app will recognise your location, and over time we hope to build a live map of swift nests across Ireland. This could help conservationists understand where swifts are nesting and where they are disappearing.

The camera module will also include climate sensors to monitor temperature and other weather conditions. This information could help researchers understand the environments swifts prefer and how climate changes may be affecting them.

This project is about conservation, technology, and community. It starts in one village, but the idea could grow much further.

We are raising funds to build the first fully working prototype nest and develop the app that connects everything together. Your support will help us:

Build the smart nest box

Install the camera, speaker, and sensors

Develop the companion app

Test and refine the system with local conservationists.

All funds raised will go directly towards building the smart swift nest prototype, including the camera, speaker, climate sensors, materials, and development of the companion app.

If we raise more than our target, any additional funds will be used to build and install more smart nests in Hillsborough and other suitable locations, expanding the project and supporting local conservation efforts.

Swifts travel thousands of miles to reach us. We want to make sure there is still a place waiting for them when they arrive.

Thank you for helping us build a home for the swifts.

Mollie, age 14