Guillemot
Guillemots really know how to live life on the edge – quite literally! They nest tightly packed on steep ledges and cliffs around the coast. This may sound like a strange nesting spot, but it…
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Chwilio
My rock gig
Peter is fanning the flames of his love for geology, as he burns the bramble they have cleared to reveal rock formations on Portway Hill. He is a geologist, with the Black Country Geological…
My future
Charlotte is spending her placement year from the University of Cardiff with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust learning valuable surveying and monitoring techniques that she can add to her CV and…
My out of office
When Andrew gets away from his desk, he likes to escape to the Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve. From bramble bashing to bonfire building and clearing ponds, he’s always learning new ways to…
My close up
Once a month, Robert attends his local Wildlife Watch group in Nottinghamshire. He’s been going for over a year now and has made lots of new friends; most of all, though, he loves how much he has…
My wellbeing
My wild life started before I was old enough to walk, being regularly taken by my mother across the Epsom Downs to enjoy fresh air. Moving to rural Staffordshire aged 3, I was incredibly lucky to…
Developing SWIFTly
Swifts are a medium-sized aerial bird, which is a superb flier. They are birds of crags and holes and will often use buildings in the UK in which to nest.
Swifts are plain and sooty brown in colour, but in flight against the sky appear black and are superb aerial flyers. They have scythe-like wings and can often be heard ‘screaming’ around towns and cities, flying high up before darting into the eaves of a building, in which they will nest.
As a summer visitor, breeding across the UK, the Swift is most numerously recorded in the south and east, as well as Wales. Swifts will over-winter in Africa and visit the UK and Europe to breed, usually arriving in late May. Once the breeding season is over, they are often heading back to Africa by late August.
Sadly these birds have declined by 50% in 25 years globally (Swift Conservation, 2021) and their UK Conservation Status is currently Amber, RSPB 2021.
Our aim is to support you in learning how to identify, survey and build nest boxes for these beautiful birds.
Swifts are plain and sooty brown in colour, but in flight against the sky appear black and are superb aerial flyers. They have scythe-like wings and can often be heard ‘screaming’ around towns and cities, flying high up before darting into the eaves of a building, in which they will nest.
As a summer visitor, breeding across the UK, the Swift is most numerously recorded in the south and east, as well as Wales. Swifts will over-winter in Africa and visit the UK and Europe to breed, usually arriving in late May. Once the breeding season is over, they are often heading back to Africa by late August.
Sadly these birds have declined by 50% in 25 years globally (Swift Conservation, 2021) and their UK Conservation Status is currently Amber, RSPB 2021.
Our aim is to support you in learning how to identify, survey and build nest boxes for these beautiful birds.