The good news is that the swifts returned this year in similar numbers to last year, but we were saddened by the destruction of two active nests, so below are more sources of information on how we can live with these miraculous birds. The house martins did well too, with several new nests recorded. They might have benefitted from the wet weather which created plenty of mud to build their nests. There was a bit of drama when starlings occupied a nest site leading to some alarming airborne fighting, but eventually the swifts returned to nest. Phew.
In approximate numbers:
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23 active swift nests, same as last year, but only 21 survived due to summer building work
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One swift box occupied
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43 swift boxes – sparrows have used several
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28 previous unused swift nest sites
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21 active house martin nests - we counted about 15 last year
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2 active swallow nests
You can download this year’s survey map and Hannah Shaw’s lovely article in Eynsham News at the bottom of this page.
We had a very popular swift walk during Swift Awareness Week (Saturday 29 June to Sunday 7 July in 2024) and it is encouraging that there is so much interest, especially from young and new residents.
How to protect swifts
One of the biggest challenges facing the swifts today is the destruction of nesting sites due to building work or demolition. Since they are used to nesting under eaves, gaps in roof tiles and cracks in walls, they are very vulnerable to refurbishment of old buildings or being blocked by repairs and scaffolding. New builds rarely leave areas where they can make their nests either. Tragically, if swifts are blocked from their nest sites they can return year on year and attempt to fly back in, which often leads them to harm. This is why it is so important that if you have swifts nesting where you live or work, any building work should happen when the birds are away in Africa, and old nest sites must be maintained or restored. Swift Conservation has good advice on how to go about this, setting simple guidelines when working on roofs where swifts are nesting or have nested in the past to comply with the law and keep swifts safe and breeding in your roof:. Swifts are incredibly tidy and hygienic nesters that cause no harm to the buildings they occupy - to encourage them, you can install boxes or even better nest bricks in walls.