Gest blog by Jenny James, RSPB Woodbridge Local Group committee member
A lot of people will share my feelings about swifts. The screams and shrieks of swifts as they turn and swirl in the evening sky are a precious part of summer.
I want this to be more than just a nostalgic memory, and the danger is ever present, as swifts are declining in numbers. They only spend three months with us, the rest of the year they are in their winter feeding grounds.
This summer in Woodbridge I heard some bad news - swifts had been vainly trying to find nest sites in a newly restored building by the harbour. It appears that the spaces under the eaves where they were previously nesting had been blocked up. But I also heard some good news - the council had recommended that nest boxes for swifts should be part of the new building on the Whisstocks site by the harbour and that the developers had agreed.
If we want to help swifts we need information. So three enthusiasts, Jan, Sue and I got together and simply asked as many local people as possible to tell us about their swifts, whether they were nesting or just flying. We had a splendid response, from 35 observers in Woodbridge and the surrounding villages. We now know about at least 10 nesting sites, some in roofs and some in boxes.
We also know that this year swifts first appeared in Woodbridge around the first week of May and that the last birds were seen on 6 August. We know that the birds were flying singly or in pairs early in the season, with groups of up to 12 being seen by June. The big surge in numbers flying comes in July when the young join these dramatic evening flights giving groups of up to 30 birds. The largest groups of up to 80 around the end of July are probably migratory groups which have gathered for the long journey south to Africa.
Swift, by Mark Thomas (rspb-images.com)
Now that we know where the swifts are and where the nests are, we can ask for help. We need to work closely with home owners, builders and developers to remind them that swifts need access to roof spaces for nesting. It is very easy to block the gaps under eaves and tiles, particularly pantiles, when doing roof repairs. Swifts are clean and non-intrusive guests. We also need to publicise nest boxes. They are a possible alternative, they can be ‘swift bricks’, built into the wall under the eaves or traditional nest boxes. They work best with a CD of swift calls. Finally we should work with SCDC to encourage planners to make provision for swifts. Many local authorities have such a policy.
Do help us if you can by telling your friends about swifts, especially during the winter and next spring and summer. We will be asking for more help then.
For further information please visit our web site www.rspb.org.uk/groups/woodbridge where you will find lots of information or email me on woodbridge-swifts2015@outlook.com.
If, like me, you share a passion for swift, you might also be interested in a talk that is taking place soon.
At the Suffolk Ornithologists Group meeting on Thursday 5 November, Dick Newell be speaking on "Swifts - problems and opportunities". The talk will be help at the Holiday Inn, London Road, Ipswich, IP2 0UA. The talk starts at 7.30 pm and the cost will be £2.
If you don't live in Suffolk, don't worry, as you can still help by taking part in the national RSPB swift survey