Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
There is something missing from our village.
It’s mid-August, and the sound of summer is gone. I feel a little sad, having derived huge pleasure from watching Swifts swoop over the slate rooftops in an aerial ballet that no other birds can match. Literally none, for Swift is the fastest bird in level flight on the planet, measured at 69mph. Yet level flight is not what these birds are about. They veer between buildings, swoop and fall almost vertically, with “that” scream which inspires writers, poets, artists and filmmakers.
I’m happy to know that a new generation of Swifts emerged from our roof space again this year. With the cool, wet summer, it felt touch and go. There seemed to be too many days without obvious activity, but Swifts can go into torpor, temporarily reducing their energy needs. And then in late July, it was business-as-usual and we were treated to a couple of weeks of screeching family parties learning how to fly, feed and survive. Then one morning they climbed high into the sky, circled for 20 minutes and headed south. Just three weeks after leaving Wales, they are feeding high over the tropical rainforests of central Africa.
No other bird connects city, suburb, village and rural Wales. Swifts breed in buildings but depend on a good supply of flying insects. Farmland birds that happen to live in towns. A few nest in cliffs, and perhaps somewhere in Wales a pair still breeds in the gnarly trunk of an ancient tree, but they feed over wetlands, hills and farmland from which flying ants, aphids and mosquitoes can emerge. Swifts need unpolluted air and water, insect-rich vegetation, and a crack or crevice with a gap behind that is just big enough to build their nest.
Quite rightly, modern buildings are energy-efficient with no gaps, and as older buildings are repaired, such gaps are often closed. But that leaves Swifts homeless. Numbers in Wales have fallen by 76% since 1995. It’s easy to skip over that statistic. But stop for a moment and think about how your community would look and feel if three-quarters had gone in less than 30 years…
Thankfully, people around Wales care about Swifts. People have come together in cities, towns and villages to take action, build and install nestboxes, monitor numbers and raise awareness. They’re doing a brilliant job, but cannot do it alone. Welsh Government and local authorities need to do their bit. Restoring habitats at scale and funding nature-friendly farming that produces insects is crucial. And requiring builders to install “Swift Bricks” as standard in all buildings over five metres high would create thousands of new nest sites available for the next century and more.
Swift Bricks are by no means the biggest ask by nature of government, but it is among the simplest. Cardiff Swift enthusiast Julia Barrell is petitioning for Welsh Government action, supported by RSPB Cymru and Wildlife Trusts Wales. If over 10,000 people support it, there could be a debate in the Senedd to which the government would have to respond.
The Swifts may have left Wales for another year but let us not forget them. I ask you please to take a few minutes to support the petition, then share it with your friends and contacts. Wales is the only part of the UK with a Well-being for Future Generations Act. Wouldn’t it be great for Wales to become the first part of the UK to require homes for Swifts, and so help their future generations too?