What is happening to our Swifts?

The aerial screaming parties of the Swift were once the sound of summer in our towns and cities. Unfortunately, these calls are becoming rarer, and in some places have totally disappeared. 

The UK Swift breeding population has declined by 60% between 1995 and 2020 leading to them having been placed on the UK Red List of the Birds of Conservation Concern. 

What’s the problem?

Traditionally, Swifts have made use of the holes and gaps in the timber-based roofs of our homes. This allowed them to nest each year and raise their chicks. In the mid-1980’s things changed when, along with improved building maintenance, UPVC based building materials such as cladding, soffits and fascia’s, started depriving Swifts of these nesting sites. 

Unless we address Swift nesting needs urgently, their population will decline further.

How are CHOG helping?

We are covering a geographical region from east of Bournemouth pier to the BCP boundary with Hampshire.  Over the course of the Swift breeding season – May, June and July – we identify areas that Swifts socialise in the early morning and evenings. This is a strong indicator that they are nesting in these locales. Swifts are colony nesting birds; they like to nest near other Swifts. Where we find a number of Swift nesting places in one area, we refer to them as Swift Hotspots.

We currently target our resources on these hotspots by contacting the residents of these areas to advise them of what they can do to help Swifts.

We have partnered with another local charity, Southbourne Mens Hub, who are making, and fitting, Swift boxes and silhouettes to people’s houses. 

CHOG Swifts is also part of a wider Dorset Swift network of volunteers promoting the conservation of these amazing aerial specialists. 

Hotspots

Currently identified Swift Hotspots are in:

Winton, Charminster, Southbourne, Christchurch and Somerford.

There are already 177 new potential nest sites for Swifts returning in 2025, thanks to our Swift Family hosts. 

How can you help?

• Become a Swift family host – contact us to arrange a visit and decide where to mount a Swift box. We are particularly interested to hear from people who live in a currently identified hotspot.
• Contact us if you have seen Swifts nesting near you.
• If you have a box or Swifts nesting add it to Swift Mapper (see additional information)
• Volunteer with our project group to help us survey Swifts and stop their decline. 

Contact us : swifts@chog.org.uk 

Costs

The price of boxes are kept as low as possible, and are based on cost prices (neither CHOG or Southbourne Men’s Hub profit financially in this process).

Single box: £25
Single Box fitted: £45
Double box: £45
Double box fitted: £75
Gable apex box fitted: £50
Swift silhouette: £12
Swift audio caller: £21

Useful links…

The Parks Foundation

Swift Mapper: Records Swift activity throughout the UK

BTO Swift Facts

BTO / IUCN Red List

RSPB file, Saving the Swifts

Southbourne Mens Hub

Swift Webcam

Watch chicks live from a nest in Wareham, thanks to Birds of Poole Harbour.

Swift Facts

Swifts have one of the longest migrations of any bird, they commute an approximate, and incredible, 22,500km (14,000 miles) each year, to and from Equatorial and Southern Africa. On migration they fly through around 25 countries travelling at speeds of almost 96kph (69.3mph), reaching their destination in about four weeks’ time.

Even the Swifts’ stay in the UK is a quick one. They holiday here just long enough to breed: arriving in early May and leaving around mid-July.

Swifts are the true flying machines. The only time they land after leaving the nest they were born in is when they themselves breed 2 or 3 years after fledging, to lay their own eggs and feed their chicks. 

Other than this, Swifts eat, mate, gather nest material and even sleep on the wing. They sleep on the wing by switching off one half of their brain during unihemispheric slow wave sleep, so one half of the brain can rest while the other stays active.

Other facts:

• The Swift is the fastest of all birds in level flight!
• Swifts eat as many as 100,000 flying insects a day.
• They drink by gliding over water and taking sips, or by catching raindrops.
• They bathe in much the same way, flying slowly through falling rain or ‘splashing’ themselves over water, smacking the surface of the water with their bodies.
• They have an average lifespan of 5 ½ years, but can live up to 21 years.

Other things you can do

You can help Swifts by improving your garden to sustain insects.

The Parks Foundation state that almost a fifth of greenspace in the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole area is people’s gardens, and gardens are becoming increasingly important for wildlife. There are likely to be over a hundred native species of plants and animals in an ordinary UK urban back garden – so the way you manage your garden can really help wildlife conservation. Your garden can be a place for you to connect with nature and enjoy discovering the plants, animals, insects, and birds which might make it their home. 

No matter the size of your outdoor space, you can welcome wildlife. 

Marvellous Meadows 

Wildflowers will offer a source of nectar and potential breeding habitat for a range of species, as well as creating a pop of colour for you to enjoy. Find out how to create a marvellous mini meadow in your garden or outdoor space – from designating an area of your lawn for wildflowers, to creating a meadow in a pot for your patio or balcony.

Swift Newsletters

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