Coming soon to a street near you, if you’re very lucky!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, no, don’t worry I don’t mean Christmas, I am of course talking about Springtime.

I don’t know whether you have noticed but currently it is hectic out there. New life and the energy of Spring is happening all around us. Like many of us, I adore this season for a variety of reasons and I get particularly excited about the arrival of certain bird species. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you how ‘slightly’ obsessed I am with Swallows, Martins and Swifts, the latter being the subject of this blog, the Common Swift to be more precise.

Upon the arrival of the Swifts, I cannot tell you how much the sight and sound of these birds lift my spirits. I know many of my friends are delighted upon their arrival, although it is safe to say that they don’t prattle on about it as much as I do. Swifts generally arrive in the UK in early May but occasionally they can be spotted in late April. They travel from their Winter holidays in sub-Saharan Africa, a journey of around 5,000 kilometres with one tracked bird making the journey in just five days. You will know when they have arrived as their screeching call is one of the sounds of the Spring and Summer. The unmistakable noise of screaming parties on a warm summer evening is something to marvel at and in my opinion our summers would not be the same without them. A couple of friends of mine are lucky enough to have Swifts nesting in the eaves of both theirs and their neighbour’s house and I have spent many a happy moment listening to them and watching them flying up to the nest hole to feed their young. I have uploaded videos from last Summer which shows these birds in action on a wonderful warm, enchanting and unforgettable evening, I hope you enjoy them. If you listen carefully, you can hear the chicks in the nest on one of the videos (sorry about the chit chat).

Like many of our summer migrants, Swifts are in desperate trouble and it won’t surprise you to know that they are on the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Birds of Conservation Concern Red List. According to the BTO, Swift numbers fell by 60% between 1995 and 2020. Reasons for their decline include a reduction in insect numbers, wetter summers and a loss of suitable nest sites due to an increase in building renovations. Imagine flying all that way to the UK with the sole purpose to breed and raise a family only to find your hole has been blocked up. Swifts need our help and we can help by putting up a Swift box or installing a Swift brick when renovating or building properties. We have to do all we can to save this magnificent bird and to ensure people can still marvel at them in years to come.

Swifts are not with us long, most leave in late July with some staying on until early August. Many of the birds making the long journey back to Africa will do so without landing and scientists now believe that they can stay in the air without landing for a staggering 10 months.

My sadness at their departure is as profound as the joy I feel when they arrive. Memories of a summer with Swifts and their return in Spring gives me hope during the long winter months and we should be thankful and consider ourselves extremely privileged that these birds choose to spend their summer with and close to us.

I eagerly await the arrival of these acrobats of the sky.

Swift facts

• The Latin name for the Common Swift is Apus Apus which comes from the Ancient Greek ‘a’ (without) and ‘pous’ (foot), so in a nutshell, no feet. This is due to their very short legs/feet which they need for clinging to surfaces and not a lot else as they spend most of their lives airborne.

• Swifts, although often seen with Swallows and Martins, are not related and are more closely related to hummingbirds.

• Swifts do everything in the air, sleeping, eating and mating.

• Swifts have a top flight speed of 69mph.

• Swift eggs are unique in that their development will slow down to protect the embryos whilst the parent birds are out foraging for long periods.

• An average life span is around five years, but the oldest ringed bird had lived for at least 21 years.

• Swifts pair for life and pair bonding usually takes place when birds are around 12 months old.

• Swifts were nicknamed Devil’s Bird in days gone by as people thought that their screeching was the souls of the dead.