Swifts
©Robert Booth
The Life of Swifts
Swifts are amazing birds, flying all the way from Africa every spring to raise their young in the UK. They mate for life and are very loyal to their nest sites, returning to the same place every year.
They spend almost all their life on the wing; feeding, sleeping, mating and preening in the air, only landing to breed. How amazing is that? When a young Swift leaves the nest, it heads straight for Africa alone and won't land for another couple of years when it is looking for a potential nest site, which could be on your home!
Swifts are millions of years old. They once only nested in holes in trees and crevices in rock faces, but over the years they have adapted to predominantly use man-made buildings, although there are some colonies that still use natural spaces.
A Loss of Nests Sites
Swift nests are inconspicuous and many people don't know that they host them in their property over the summer. They use small gaps and cracks in walls and roofs, and can approach the nest site at high speed - blink and you'll miss them!
Modern building practices and renovations are grinding the long relationship we have had with Swifts to a halt. Plastic soffits and perfectly sealed new builds exclude Swifts from the start, and running repairs shut them out from their existing nests. Swifts are site faithful to within inches - they return to the same nest every year, unless they are blocked out. They will desperately try to get in, sometimes fatally injuring themselves in the process. Blocking them out of our homes costs lives. If you have Swifts nesting in your property but need to carry out building work/repairs, Chirk Swifts and House Martins can help - get in touch here. A small hole is all they need to raise their families.
We can provide Swifts with lots of options when it comes to nest sites. There are many different commercially available nest boxes, Swift Bricks and DIY solutions.
Chirk Swifts and House Martins offer free local home surveys to help you begin your own Swift and House Martin colony. Get in touch to book a home visit!
How to Identify Swifts
Swifts are recognizable by their long, narrow, crescent shaped wings and loud screaming calls. They can often be seen flying at high speeds over rooftops in the height of summer screaming away in their groups. They are dark brown, with a wingspan of up to 48cm.
Swifts feed exclusively on airborne insects and can be spotted quietly meandering high in the sky hunting for food. Look out for their distinctive silhouette, just like our logo!