Swifts need our help!

Most people will probably have seen something in the news about the rapid decline of Swift across the UK. This is for a myriad of reasons, although one of the major ones in the UK continues to be a lack of breeding space. The closing up of roof spaces, eaves and the march to better insulated homes has had an unfortunate impact on these amazing birds - that’s where the Blewbury Swift Project comes in. The idea is to build and install as many Swift boxes as possible in the village to help improve the availability of breeding spaces. This of course needs willing volunteers to install the boxes on their houses, in suitable places. It would also be great to understand how many pairs are in the village and where they are nesting, prior to any installation. For everyone who wants to be involved, there will be a shared access spreadsheet where participants can input their sightings and observations from around the village over the summer. If spreadsheets aren’t your thing, you can also email sightings to Conor MacKenzie, who is happy to keep track. eBird is also a great open-source platform where sightings can easily be shared.

For a good news story from Save Our Suffolk Swifts, see this - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2rk3zgd0go?app-referrer=deep-link

If you would like to get involved in this project or would like any further information, please email conormackenzie91@gmail.com or secretary@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk. “

Click here to view a guide for creating a high home for Swifts

Thank you to Gareth Casburn who has kindly allowed us to use his images

Conor MacKenzie