Now in its eighth year, World Swift Day – which was founded by Swifts Without Frontiers – is being celebrated around the globe today (Sunday 7th June).
The UK’s common swift population has plummeted by about 60-70 per cent since the mid-1990s. This tragic drop has landed the iconic aerial birds on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.
Global celebration
More than 50 countries across every continent now take part in World Swift Day, celebrating around 40 different species of swift.
Swifts Without Frontiers encourages everyone – from NGOs and schools to councils and individuals – to mark the day by spreading awareness and holding events.
Here on the Isle of Wight, there have already been many swift sightings this year (we have three pairs nesting at our own property in Ventnor).
The birds – which travel thousands of miles, eating and sleeping on the wing – started arriving in mid-May and are expected to stay until July or early August, before migrating back to Western and Central Africa.
Local success story
This week a housing development on the Isle of Wight is celebrating a landmark moment for swift conservation, after nest bricks installed nearly a decade ago have finally been confirmed as being used by the birds they were designed for.
Freshwater Fields, a 50-property development in Freshwater built by Spectrum Housing (now part of Sovereign Network Group) between 2014 and 2015, had 56 swift bricks incorporated into 21 of its later-built homes following the demolition of the former West Wight Middle School, which had stood on the site since 1906.
School swifts sparked the campaign
Swifts had been observed using the old school buildings as a breeding site, with local residents Roger and Jenny Burgess recording parties of up to seven birds screaming around the buildings in 2012.
Demolition delayed to protect nesting birds
Wight Swifts’ Caroline Dudley carried out monitoring the following year and, working with Ian Boyd (Arc Consulting) and RSPB swift specialist Stephen Fitt, successfully lobbied for demolition to be delayed until the birds had vacated – and for swift bricks to be built into the new development.
Liz Evans, then Spectrum’s project manager and now Project Development Manager at Sovereign, was instrumental in making it happen, bringing considerable enthusiasm to ensuring the bricks were included in the gable walls of the new homes.
Earlier this week, Caroline Dudley confirmed that swifts are at last using the bricks,
“It’s official – swifts are finally using the nest bricks put in for them in an estate in Freshwater in 2015!
“I have seen two birds going in and out of the same brick this evening!”
Bricks welcomed by other species in the meantime
The bricks have not sat empty in the intervening years – by 2022, 41 of the 56 showed signs of occupancy by other species, including house sparrows, starlings, blue tits and great tits – but the arrival of swifts marks the moment the project truly delivers on its original purpose.
Bravo to everyone who helped make this success story happen, and to those who install swift boxes or allow swifts to access nesting sites through soffits.
Your actions are helping to support this tragically declining bird.
Here’s a short clip of swifts and other wildlife filmed 23rd May 2019.
