Concern over swift numbers

Wildlife experts said they fear for the future of one of mankind’s oldest neighbours - the swift.

These birds like to nest in old buildings, but renovation and development may be evicting the swift from some areas where it used to thrive.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the species has been around since the earliest occupation of Britain.

They first lived alongside man in caves, then in castles and churches and finally in our homes.

Recently, there have been worries that the fortunes of one of our oldest neighbours may be declining.

To understand more about these birds, the RSPB has launched a UK-wide online survey asking people to provide details of the birds, either in their homes or in their neighbourhoods.

The RSPB’s Darren Moorcroft said: “There is some evidence that the swift has declined across the UK, but we really need people’s help to understand more about where this bird still occurs.”

Swifts are often confused with swallows and house martins, but the all black birds are easily identified, especially when groups of swifts fly at speed in noisy formations around nesting sites.

These flocks are known as “screaming parties”.

The online questionnaire, which can be can be found at http/www.rspb.org.uk/swfitsurvey, will ask people to state whether swifts are nesting in properties or whether people have heard swift “screaming parties” around their properties.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/