OEL Newsletter
Article (Number 5)
This is an article that is in the current OEL Newsletter 74
– July 2008.
I wonder how many of you realised that the population of
these magnificent ‘flying machine’ birds has declined at such an alarming rate and
why it is still happening – I certainly didn’t!
Britain's Vanishing Swifts
Edward Mayer
I love Swifts. 1 first noticed them flying above our
house in Hampshire when I was five. They were tearing through the sky,
screaming, twisting like little rockets. How they lifted my 1950s austerity‑dampened
spirits!
Swifts nest in buildings; a
handful still nest in crags and cliffs, but with the arrival of the Romans and
their roof tiles, perfect for nesting under, Swifts moved into our gables and
eaves. Swifts eat only insects, each one devouring as many as 80,000
mosquitoes, gnats, aphids and spiders every day. They are unobtrusive, clean
nesters, indeed people usually never realise they have them nesting in their
roofs.
Swifts are unique in that they land only to breed;
they never ever land on the ground unless injured or sick. Indeed, a young Swift will leave its nest in
the UK in July, and then never touch down for another two or three years,
flying all the time until it is ready to breed. Swifts are long distance
migrants. They arrive every year at the beginning of May from Southern Africa,
returning there in the late summer. Another unique aspect of Swifts is that
they are absolutely loyal to both their mates and their nest sites. If they
lose either, they probably won't breed.
Where I live there's a local group of Swifts that
brighten up the summer days with their spectacular flights and calls. 1
couldn't work out why their numbers were failing until 1 recognised the
connection with the massive amount of re‑roofing and conversion going on
locally, which was blocking their access to their nest places.
I wrote to the local paper about it, and rather to
my surprise, got results: an interview, and a half‑page spread all about
Swifts and the problems they face.
Briefly, ever since the 1940s buildings have been built or renovated in
such a way that they are sealed up against ingress by birds. This is the law,
enshrined in the Building Regulations, but it is wiping out Swifts. If matters continue like this, at some point
not too far away there will be no nest places left for them.
The British Trust for Ornithology's surveys show that Swifts have declined in the South
West over the past 12 years
by a stunning 42%. It fits in with what
we know is happening to the built environment. It is a massive fail and yet,
oddly, it has not got much attention. The fact is, very few people understand
Swifts and their needs. Many have an
erroneous belief that dispossessed Swifts will easily find new nest
places. The grim truth is that there
are no nest places to be had in new buildings, and Swifts will often injure
themselves or even die trying to gain access to old nest sites that have been
blocked by roofers.
After my encouraging
experience with the local paper I decided to do something for Swifts. I set up
an internet‑based advice
service
devoted to reversing the decline in Swifts, encouraged by the late Chris Mead,
then Swift Man at the BTO. It's at http://www.londons-swifts.org.uk/. We show how to maintain Swift nest places
in existing buildings that need to be re‑roofed, and also show how new
buildings can have places for Swifts created in them. We give advice by e‑mail,
on the phone, in person and on‑site, and we give talks too. We have
helped people throughout the UK and Europe who love Swifts and want to help
them, and we also manage nest box projects at a number of sites.
See if you can do your bit to save the UK's Swifts.
There are others who are trying to help Swifts too, so you won't be on your
own!
Is a local Swift colony imperilled by re‑roofing
work? If it's done during the nesting
season it's illegal, and the Police, the local authority and Natural England
all have the powers to stop the work. But the authorities won't act unless they
are told to, so such work usually proceeds without any control. 1 get calls
from people telling me, "What can 1 do?
The roofers next door have just thrown the baby Swifts into their
skip!" The answer is it is unfortunately too late to do anything, but
earlier action might have achieved at least a delay to the works until the
Swifts had flown.
If you see a local colony is threatened, why not
talk to the building's owners and tell them all about Swifts, about the joy,
drama and excitement they bring us, and how they can be saved easily and
cheaply?
Having a new roof fitted? Do it when the Swifts
aren't here (September to early April), and make sure their nest areas and
entrances aren't blocked. Or put up a nestbox;; you can buy them via our
"Shopping" page or you can make your own from our designs.
But why not do more? Get in touch with your local authority's biodiversity officer and
ask for artificial Swift nest places ("Swift Bricks") to be made a
Planning Requirement in all suitable new buildings going up in your borough; we
can provide all the advice they'll need.
See our website and scan the
index for the information you need ‑ it should be there and if it isn't
you can always e‑mail us on mail@londons‑swifts.org.uk for
specific advice tailored to the needs of your Swifts.
Please
help Swifts! If you don't, your
grandchildren will wonder why you didn't!
Edward Mayer spent many
years as Gallery Manager at the Tate Gallery, covering all major building
developments. Early retirement enabled him to pursue a lifelong interest in
swifts, culminating in founding the London's Swifts project
and website.