Half of all swifts disappeared?

Due to the recent decline of swifts across Britain the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is planning to conduct a national census that will identify where they are most common across the country and the location of their nests.

The RSPB suspects that the loss of swift nesting sites in buildings may have led to the drop in the swift population, but the study hopes to pinpoint the exact cause.

Since 1994 the swift population has decreased by a staggering 47% leading to their inclusion on the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern which translates to mean that the threat to the birds’ eventual extinction is grave.

Generally, swifts arrive in Britain from Africa during the month of May and stay throughout the beginning of July for breeding purposes. Due to their summer arrival many view the swift’s arrowhead like shadow as the symbol of summer.

Typically, swifts build nests under the eaves of buildings, both residential and business atop of beams in the rafters which helps protect their nestlings from predators.

However, the gaps the swifts look for are growing less common as newer buildings do not have the same support network and rafters for the swifts and older buildings are being demolished in favour of more modern structures.

The aim of the RSPB is to preserve nesting sites of the swifts that are still in existence as the swift is thought of as an unobtrusive visitor that will not cause any harm or disturbance to its nesting home.

They recommend that any work that is completed on a roof be tailored so that the accesses holes on the new structures are the same as on the old ones so that the swifts can find their way back in.

Sarah Niemann, the SPB species recovery officer even went as far as to say that the visit of swifts to a home or building should be considered a ‘great privilege.’