Welcome to our South East Christmas Countdown no.6
Did you guess that swifts can sleep on the wing? There’s a clue at the bottom to tomorrow’s story. If you missed no.7 in the Countdown, you can read it here.
Christmas is a time of celebration! In our countdown to Christmas, we would like to share with you some of this year’s success stories, about some of our most threatened birds in the South East. In September, the State of Nature 2016 report was published. It highlights the alarming decline of many UK species, but it also showed that we can turn the fortunes of our wildlife around, given determination, resources, public support and conservation action.
About swifts
Swifts pair for life, and will use the same nest site for life too. They do almost everything on the wing, including feeding and sleeping, and after leaving the nest around July, they'll keep flying non-stop for three years! They build their nests using materials floating in the sky, such as feathers, straw, hay and seeds, cemented together with saliva.
In the South East, swifts declined by 55% between 1995-2014*. These migratory birds nest under the eaves of buildings. The destruction of existing nest sites, combined with sheer-faced modern developments are thought to be one of the main factors contributing to this decline.
Good news from 2016
Thanks to the hard work of our Brighton volunteer surveyors, we identified 22 more nest sites in Brighton this year – and you can help us to find more. Simply log into the swift survey website next summer and record any nest sites you have found, or email swifts@rspb.org.uk to ask for more information on how to become a volunteer swift surveyor!
Nationally, we are working with communities and other conservation groups to survey swifts, and we’re offering the public advice on how to encourage them to nest. We are also advising town planners and architects on how they can build swift-friendly developments in key areas.
Our work wouldn’t be possible without your continued support, through membership, volunteering and even your Christmas purchases in our shops. On behalf of our teams and all the wildlife you have helped us to save, thank you, and have a great Christmas!
Our story for August
We’ll celebrate another story tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime here’s a clue to keep you guessing…
Cutting down Christmas trees helps which of our conservation priority species?
*data sourced from Breeding Bird Survey bird population trends