It's a football first! Shrewsbury Town will have to ground share with swallows and swifts

Up to 50 of the birds, which migrate here from South Africa, have chosen the Greenhous Meadow as their UK home from March to October.

Town are believed to be the first football ground to be home to swallows.

The birds have distinctive dark, glossy-blue backs, red throats, pale underparts and long tail streamers. Brown swifts are bigger but of the same species.

Club media manager Ian Whitfield believes the birds have been coming back to the stadium within a couple of years of the ground opening in 2007.

"I reckon they have been coming here since about 2009 and I've noticed the numbers increasing over the years," said Mr Whitfield. Gareth Egarr, North reserve officer for Shropshire Wildlife Trust was invited to the stadium to take a look.

He believes they keep coming back because the stands offer the perfect nesting place.

"Basically, they are there because it offers very suitable conditions," said Mr Egarr.

"Classically, swallows will nest in barns or outbuildings and people with garages where the door is often left open – anywhere where there's an open front.

"What they need is somewhere to protect them from the elements but where they can build a mud cut, usually on a ledge.

"And from walking under the stand, there are so many structures that it's an ideal place for them to settle. With the nice, big wide entrances and open front, there are also nice sight lines so they can get in and out easily."

With the birds more prevalent at the start of the football season in August, they don't see the presence of crowds a problem.

"I haven't heard of another football stadium being used for nesting swallows, but they seem to be happy," sad Mr Egarr.

"Ian says when the season starts in August, there tends to be more because of the offspring but also because they tend to gather before they migrate."

Mr Egarr believes numbers have increased as the swallows' offspring follow them.

"They make this incredible journey to South Africa each year from March to September, October time and their offspring will come with them," he said.