The breeding season for Swifts is well underway, and the adults will be busy raising their chicks. As with all parents, raising young is such an intense time, the priority to make sure that they are safe, warm and well fed. One of the dangers for birds that nest on our buildings (including House martins, House sparrows, and Starlings) comes from re-roofing, repairs and renovations to our homes, especially during the bird breeding season. All of these birds are on the UK’s Birds of Conservation Concern list, and we are at risk of losing some of them entirely before too long. Based on the current rate of decline Swifts may be extinct from the UK by 2050 – even though the UK government has committed to halting the decline of species by 2030 and ensuring we have rich and diverse nature by 2050!
If you are planning on doing any repairs or renovation to your home, please try and avoid it during bird breeding season (April to September). Outside of the nesting season there are plenty of solutions that mean the work can be done whilst still retaining the nest site(s). Please visit Action for Swifts https://www.actionforswifts.com/ and House Martin Conservation https://housemartinconservation.com/how-to-help/ or email: Julie Cowley for help and advice.
Nature can keep itself in balance and is vital to human survival – Swifts, Swallows and House Martins are insectivorous birds (they only eat insects that are flying or floating in the air above and around us). Without them we will have more aphids, midges and other insects and invertebrates that are harmful to crops, livestock and us. All of these are part of nature and are an important food source for these birds. Planet earth, and us, needs them all!
Photo Credits Julie Cowley
