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The other evening just as we entered May we were out gardening and we suddenly heard a familiar screeching sound. We raised our heads to the skies and there they were…these remarkable spring visitors..the swifts. We smiled and celebrated the fact that they had once again returned to our shores and to our skies and to our village.

Every year they undertake an awe-inspiring migration travelling thousands of miles between their breeding grounds in the UK to their wintering grounds in Africa. These amazing birds spend most of their time in flight..eating, drinking. sleeping and mating on the wing. They only land to nest and feed their young and return to the same nest site every year…if they can.

Swift numbers have declined by 60 percent over the last 25 years due to several factors. One is the loss of their nest sites (old buildings being demolished or renovated), second is the decline in our insect population (a vital food source for these birds) and third is poor weather conditions.

For this year at least they have come back to us and what a joy it is to watch them fly over the rooftops at high speed. They are often to be seen around Elm Tree Square in the evening.

What can we do to help them?
Don’t use pesticides.
Keep a wild area in your garden where insects can thrive.
Put up a swift nest box under the eaves of your house.

Barbara Kipling

Swifts and Swift nesting Box – Images: RSPB

Editor’s Note: You can find out more about Swifts and how to help them at the RSPB website by following this link: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swift/help-our-swifts