Ailsa’s Swift Blog

August 2024

They were still here last week, arcing across the sky, screaming in their racing gangs, lifting my heart at every glimpse and call.

And now they’ve gone, at least from my bit of Berkshire, the skies are empty of their boomerang shapes, and it feels like a very long time until they’ll be here again, early in May next year. But for now, the Swifts are heading south, to Africa, meandering down through Europe, to cross the Mediterranean, most likely at the Straits of Gibraltar; birds tracked by the British Trust for Ornithology then flew along Africa’s west coast, before heading east over the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. But these political borders mean nothing to the birds, who range widely across southern Africa whilst we endure cold weather and short, dark days in our northern Winter. They fly and feed over jungles and savannahs, before heading back in late April or early May, driven by the need to breed in our long, light, summer days, where their invertebrate food was once bountiful, and there were nest sites aplenty.

Swift adults may depart these shores first, leaving their fully-grown young to make their maiden flight alone; or the young may leave first, allowing their parents time to feed-up before they cross the Channel and head off through Europe, feeding as they go. There’s less of an imperative pushing them south, now the breeding season’s over, and their return can be at a more leisurely pace. In contrast, their journeys north can be very fast: one took only 5 days to cover 5,000 kms from west Africa to Britain. The birds leaving now are very unlikely to travel together, unlike, for instance, Whooper Swans, whose young learn routes and stopovers from their parents.

Imagine that you’re a young Swift: there will be no such guidance for you. You hatched from your egg about 8 weeks ago; your dark and, by now, cramped nest-site is all you’ve ever known; you’ve been doing press-ups on your wing edges for the last couple of weeks, to strengthen your flight muscles; you’ve probably looked out through the entrance at the wide sky, waiting for your parents to come back and feed you; and now it’s time to leave everything that’s familiar behind you; it’s time to leave the nest and fly and keep flying, endlessly, for 2 or 3 years, until it’s your turn to find a mate and to breed. By then, you’ll have made 2 or 3 round trips of at least 14,000 miles between here and Africa.

But as you squeeze through the entrance to your nest, spreading your wings fully and feeling the air’s buoyancy and your freedom for the first time, how do you know where to go, and what to do? Instinct kicks in, and you’ll find other Swifts and copy them, and you’ll probably head south with other youngsters.

In the last couple of days, there have been reports of big groups of Swifts heading south together, from Lincolnshire and from along the south coast. Look out for them on your travels, and wish them bon voyage. It’s always sad to see them go, as they take the promise of Summer with them, leaving us with August’s drift towards Autumn; and seeing and hearing them through those 3 short months is an everlasting delight. But they do need our help, for those once plentiful meals and nest sites are in increasingly short supply. Climate change and massive use of pesticides account for a catastrophic decline in invertebrate numbers, so there is much less food for the birds; and refurbishment of buildings and the blocking-up of holes for insulation have caused a severe housing crisis for Swifts, with nowhere to nest.

This is where we can help: by gardening organically and installing nest boxes on our homes, schools, libraries, workplaces, churches – wherever’s suitable.

And by writing to our MPs and new Government to support regenerative farming; and to make mandatory the installation of Swift nest boxes and bricks on or in all new buildings.

And by using SwiftMapper to record any nest- sites you know have been used this Summer; and any screaming parties you’ve been lucky enough to be thrilled by. It’s available as an App, or online on your computer: do it now, before you forget, and you’ll be able to replay in your mind all your Summer’s glorious encounters with these most amazing birds.

Here’s to next May, and to there being lots of extra nest boxes and bricks for Swifts on their return, and many more insects and other invertebrates for them to eat.

May 2024

They’re back!!!  At least, a lot of them are, and our skies are once more being scythed by the black crossbow shapes of Swifts feeding and prospecting and generally being their wonderful selves. I’ve seen lots of reports of Swifts returning to villages, towns, homes, neighbourhoods and cities – and it’s great to know that Hungerford has had many screaming parties already. 

That’s not to say any rowdy celebrations have been going on (though maybe a glass of something was drunk on the evening of my first-Swift-over-my-garden sighting!). 

‘Screaming parties’ are what we call groups of sub-adult Swifts who are prospecting for nest sites for when, aged 3 or 4, they stop flying to raise a family of their own. Before then, they zoom around in groups, screaming and looking for holes and crevices which look good for nesting in. They will fly so close that their wings brush against the cavity, and the theory is that they can tell, from the sound this makes, how big, and therefore how suitable, the space is. Amazing, eh? When they do that, they’re known as Bangers (though ‘brushers’ might be more appropriate).

Adults will scream back at the young birds, from their nests, so there’s even more noise; hearing the adults reassures the youngsters that they have found good sites, as Swifts already nest there, and they all like to nest close by other Swifts.

This is why we play Swift calls near our nest boxes and bricks, to persuade young birds that there are other Swifts nesting close by; and it’s why it’s never too late to put boxes up and to play calls, because these sub-adult non-breeders will remember where they saw, and heard, a good future nest site; and they’ll be back….

Their fairground “screaming parties” around the High Street rooftops and out over the Marsh and Common are a soundtrack to all our summers.

If you want to know if your house is suitable for a swift nest box please contact us on heat_hungerford@yahoo.com. And please follow our facebook page facebook.com/SwiftTownHungerford.

April 2024 – keep your eyes to the skies

We are in the countdown now for Swift arrival. If your house has a roof that has clear access with no trees or telegraph poles nearby and doesn’t get too warm please consider installing a Swift nest box, especially if you know that swifts already nest in your vicinity (check out the user-friendly RSPB Swift Mapper). 

August 2023 – quiet skies

As August arrives, our non-breeding swifts’ wild screaming parties reach their noisy peak, and they begin to wing away from us and towards their African wintering-grounds.

Usually, adults with young remain, feeding their chicks until they fledge and set off for the south alone, followed by their parents, who might stay a while to feed themselves in preparation for their long journey.

But this year’s persistently wet weather has disrupted the swifts’ normal behaviour; they can’t hunt in heavy rain, and whilst the nestlings can survive without food, or the warmth of their parents, for up to 5 days, July’s rain, and now August’s, has put them under extreme pressure. I have seen many reports of chicks, and fledglings, found grounded beneath their nests, underweight and in dire need of food and warmth. Many swift rescue centres are being kept busy with hungry birds, youngsters who aren’t developed or strong enough to have left their nests, and adults who aren’t finding enough insects to feed themselves or their young.

If you find a grounded swift, please don’t feed it, as they need expert care. Go to www. swift-conservation.org to find your nearest swift helper, who will have been specially trained. All Things Swift UK’s Facebook group also has information about Swift supporters, and group members share experiences and advice.

I’ve just returned from a 10-day trip to north Norfolk, where I’ve seen many swifts in previous years, but fewer, I feel, this year. However, I was delighted to be buzzed by a screaming party of 10 birds in Blakeney village, and around 15 in Wells-next-the -Sea, where I also watched 2 adults swoop into their nests beneath roofs on the main street. I stayed in Fakenham, a medieval market town with many old buildings; although I didn’t find any nest sites, each evening towards the end of my stay, I was entranced by parties of 20 to 30 birds screaming around the town centre. One evening, they were careering around above a company of mixed gulls, who looked large, heavy and clumsy compared with the quicksilver Swifts. There’d been a mass-hatching of flying ants that day, and all these birds were feasting on them as they were swept up on strong winds towards the aerial soup zone.

I was lucky to have relatively good weather whilst I was away, but I don’t expect there will be big screaming parties in Fakenham now. Since I came home to Berkshire, I’ve seen just 1 swift, over my garden, before the rain set-in again. As non-breeders head south, away from the rain, and well-fed fledglings leave on dry days, from now on the skies will grow quiet, until next May.

Swifts in July

July is a great time to see and hear Swifts, as the younger, non-breeding, birds will be prospecting for nest-sites for when it’s time for them to breed, which Swifts don’t do until they’re 3 or 4 years old. As Swifts like to nest communally, these younger birds will be flying around, in groups, looking and listening for adults with nests, calling as they go, in what are known as screaming parties. The adults will be calling back, warning them away from their nests, so this can be a very noisy month!

There are two advantages for us in this: firstly, we can enjoy the thrilling speed, screams and spectacle of the young birds careering round buildings and tearing across the sky; and the adults’ reactions indicate where they’re nesting. It can be tricky to pinpoint nest-sites, as, unless they’re in nest boxes, they’ll be hidden away in roofs and walls beyond our sight; and the parent birds can slip in and out of them in a trice, so are easily missed.

You may see members of the screaming parties flying very close to, or brushing, walls, roofs or other places that might look like desirable sites: these are the bangers, who, it is believed, can tell from the sound made as they brush by how deep a hidden cavity is, and whether it will be suitable for nesting in.

With all this activity, July is the best time to survey how many Swifts we have in Hungerford, and where they are. 

Treat yourselves to an evening stroll, an hour or two before sunset, looking and listening for Swift activity. Make a note of your observations, and log them on the RSPB’s Swift Mapper on their website, or download the Swift Mapper app. Your records will add to the national picture of Swift numbers and distribution, and help us to create a map of Hungerford’s Swifts, which will be helpful in deciding where to site new Swift nest boxes in the town.

Swifts nest in nooks and crannies in our buildings. Keeping those repaired and in good order often excludes swifts. But this is easily remedied (see below) and they are quiet birds when nesting, unobtrusive and not at all messy.

It’s also crucial to know where Swifts nest in case of any building work or development which may block or destroy established nest sites. Swifts are site faithful, returning year after year to the same place; if this is lost, it is unlikely that they will nest again. Evidence of nesting can inform Planning decisions and help avoid potential damage to and disruption of Swifts’ nests.If you already have a Swift nest box, or boxes (more than one is preferable – see above about their preference for communal nesting), playing Swift calls at this time of year will advertise these brilliant, custom-built, state of the art new-builds to birds who will be nesting in the years ahead. They’ll remember likely sites, and could return in 1,2 or even 3 years’ time to use them. It could take longer – patience is a necessary virtue for Swift lovers!

Blocking the nest box entrance holes in early Spring will deter other feathered families, such as House Sparrows, from moving in, but as this can be difficult with boxes at heights of 5 metres and above, don’t despair: your boxes may not be used by early nesters; if they are, those birds may have finished raising their young by the time the Swifts return to us, in early May; Swifts will evict “sitting-tenants”; and it’s even been known for some Swifts to tolerate multi-occupancy – I saw photos last year of a Great Tit family sharing a box with Swifts!

Sadly, most of our Swifts will be leaving at the end of July, with some adults staying longer, as they finish raising their young. So now’s the time to enjoy, record and absorb as much Swiftiness as possible, before the skies grow quiet and emptier.

We’ll all be so busy through the Winter, installing nest boxes, planning our organic gardening and designing Hungerford Swift Town banners, that in no time at all, it will be May again, and they’ll be back …Meanwhile, indulge yourselves in July’s peaks of activity and numbers.

Ailsa Claybourn

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