Swifts wheelies, endurance athletes scream. They don’t touch the ground for nine months of the year and fly 14,000 kilometers a year – from sub-Saharan Africa to nest in the UK and back again. In Britain, it is a sign that summer is coming or going. Among them, they give the highest expression of the heart of beauty. No wonder they are loved.
Hannah Bourne-Taylor, keen swift advocate and author of Nature Needs You: The Fight to Save Our Swifts.
“I used to lie on the kitchen table with my head out the window,” says Edward Mayer, founder of Swift Conservation. “They’re so beautiful … like a flying shark, always moving.”
Why should they be saved?
Our skies are getting quieter every summer: from 1995 to 2023, the UK’s population has fallen by 68%. The RSPB’s migratory bird program manager, Dr Guy Anderson, said: “It’s a steady decline, and it’s the same everywhere you look in the UK.
The reasons are not surprising, but it is likely that habitat loss is part of the picture. “About 100 years ago, we started to change the way we move, build and renovate our buildings, and that has made it difficult for walkers to find the holes and tunnels and access points they need,” says Anderson.
But that’s not the only reason: “The other six-foot elephant in the room is insects,” he says. Most conservationists believe that the insect population has declined and recent research on swifts suggests that “periods of bad weather affect their reproductive success”. The increase in weather patterns means that extreme weather events will become more frequent.
How can you help?
Become a nest detective
Bourne-Taylor says: “Swift monitoring is vital to their survival. Knowing where swift colonies live helps conservation groups focus their efforts. You can help by using the RSPB Swift Mapper tool and website. It’s an online population data recording tool, which allows anyone to plan to see nesting swifts. The database now has over 100,000 views – and the more people contribute, the more complete and valuable the reports become. Users are looking for places where swifts fly in and out, or where they gather for “screaming parties” – “when they make their Red Arrow displays in large, boisterous groups”, as Bourne-Taylor puts it.
Be the speed brick champion
A quick brick is a small structure that can be inserted into the holes in the walls of the building, to provide a permanent nest. Bourne-Taylor says: “I’m very concerned about speed bricks. His Feather Speech campaign is calling for mandatory speed bricks in new buildings. “It’s arguably the simplest act of nature; it’s easy to install when adding or building a house.”
“That’s a good time to get a speed brick, or two or three,” says Mayer, who says they can be installed during modifications or repairs that require a shovel: “Pick up a few bricks and stick to a speed brick.” Swift Conservation trains architects, builders and conservationists in development, but can provide individual advice. If you can’t make your own brick, advocate for it locally: in addition to her national campaign, Bourne-Taylor became a parish councillor, and her parish is now asking for new buildings or an extension to include one speed brick.
Get a boxing match
Swift boxes aren’t cheap to buy, but they’re also easy to make and install (Swift Conservation has tips and templates on its website). Your box should include a concave nest cup as a base for the birds to build in, and it should be installed under the roof at least five meters from the windows, with a clear flight path (no power lines or trees or other obstacles); nor should it be exposed to full summer sun. One box (or brick) is good; but if you have room, look for more. “Speedy people like to be in loose colonies, so if you can install three or four or five boxes, that’s great,” Anderson says.
Be patient and accepting of other residents
If another bird uses your brick or box (“Eight species of birds have been studied for breeding in speed boxes and bricks,” says Bourne-Taylor), that’s fine. House sparrows – people who live in quick boxes – are some red species that need help. Bourne-Taylor says: “Having a nesting area for small birds like sparrows is very good for those birds, and it also helps attract swifts.
“Sparrows are big enough and mean enough to chase sparrows away,” says Anderson (plus sparrows that leave early may flee the young before the sparrows arrive).
Giving swifts visitors can be a long game – they may not find or use your box or brick for several years. But, with an average life expectancy of nine years (the oldest recorded fast in the UK was 17), when they do, you should have the pleasure of their company for many summers. “That’s their home for life,” says Bourne-Taylor. “It’s the only reason they can use it intentionally for the rest of their lives.”
Broadcast fast sounds
Playing recordings of urgent calls can attract birds of prey. Swift Conservation sells a CD or MP3 file that you can play in the window during the spring. June and July are particularly good, Anderson says: “That’s when the young swifts have the most opportunity to expect.”
Protect from insects
Swifts have only insects, so anything you can do to protect and encourage insects will help them: recent research has found that many species of migratory birds were leaving the UK heavy for their marathon journeys. “Establishing wildlife sanctuaries, if you have a garden, or advocate for green spaces in your area will collectively help all wildlife and the environment as a whole,” says Bourne-Taylor.
Planting “anything that has flowers, nectar, fruit, berries, will support insect life and support bird life,” says Mayer. “Sloes, hawthorn, spindle trees, broom … The RSPB has a wildlife gardening guide with lots of ideas.
Get involved in local urgent matters
What help swifts need most will depend on where you live: it can vary from getting involved in a project, campaigning, or creating a “swift street” (multiple nest boxes in the same neighborhood). If you want to get involved, join a swift group (you can find those near you via the Swift Local Network), talk to your nearest RSPB group, or check out local activities during Swift Awareness Week (27 June-5 July).
Become a citizen expert
Knowledge is the power of conservation. Anderson says: “There are a range of different citizen science schemes they can get involved in. The British Trust for Ornithology/RSPB/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey is one option; sign-up instructions are available on the BTO website.
Help the birds on the ground
Anderson says: “It’s usually the young birds that end up on the ground; the young ones need the help of a quick keeper, but, he suggests, if you find an adult bird with fully grown feathers, “it’s important to go to one to see if it will fly in your hand, put it in your hand, as high as you can, and blow gently with your hand, so that the fast one feels unstable and put its wings at all, if it can’t fly out, it can never fly out. it’s not easy.” If that doesn’t work, contact a swift keeper: there’s a list on the Swift Conservation site.
Enjoy them
The fast time is short and very interesting – enjoy it, says Anderson, and let it motivate you to help them.
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