Local Swift colony [Video credit: Emily Gardner]
May is just around the corner, and we are eagerly anticipating the return of our beloved Ealing swifts. After a challenging 2024 season with lower-than-expected numbers in Ealing, we’re hopeful that more swifts will return this spring and utilise the 160 swift boxes that EWG has installed throughout our community to provide crucial nesting sites.
Swift Facts and Figures
- Common swifts (Apus apus) have experienced a 58% population decline in the UK since 1995
- These remarkable birds spend over 10 months of the year in continuous flight, only landing to breed
- Swifts can reach speeds of 69 mph during their hunting dives
- A single swift can catch up to 20,000 insects per day, making them excellent natural pest controllers
- They typically arrive in the UK in early May and depart by mid-August
- The average swift lives about 5-6 years, but some individuals have been recorded living over 20 years!
- Swifts are extremely site-faithful, returning to the same nesting sites year after year
How You Can Help
These iconic birds face serious threats, primarily due to habitat loss as modern building methods eliminate traditional nesting cavities. Your assistance is invaluable to their survival. Here are some excellent resources for learning more:
Swift Conservation – keeps track of where the swifts are, provides useful hints and tips
RSPB Swift Survey – details of how you can become a citizen scientist and help to record swift sightings and nest sites.
Action for Swifts – help with all aspects of swift conservation.
We are lucky to have lots of Ealing Swift Champions across Ealing, who monitor the nest boxes in their area – we let them know as soon as we see the first swift, and it is therefore time for them to start electronic calling to encourage the swifts to check out our boxes for nesting.
While our funding for swift box installation has been depleted, you can find comprehensive advice on installing your own boxes on the websites above or by contacting us directly. The optimal installation height is at least 5 meters above ground, with a clear flyway for the birds to access the entrance.
Most importantly, if you’re planning any roof work or renovations, please consider incorporating swift nesting provisions into your eaves or high up on your walls. This creates a win-win situation: providing crucial habitat for these threatened birds while enhancing your property’s ecological value.
By working together as a community, we can help ensure these magnificent migratory birds continue to grace our skies for generations to come.
Fiona McIntyre
Swift Project Lead
