Actions to help Swifts

Swifts will not use bird feeders as they catch the insects in flight so you can do some planting to encourage more insects to come to your home or the area around your unit meeting place.

• Plant wildflowers in pots, boxes or in the ground to provide food and shelter, attract and encourage insects so providing Swifts with more food. Find out how to grow wildlife friendly flowers.
• If there is space sow a wild meadow - they can be small - and let the flowers grow wild.
• Is there an area nearby that you could plant wildflowers into – a patch of community land, local allotments or grassy area. Please remember to make sure you have permission to do this. Can you encourage your neighbours to do the same?
• Other great ways to attract insects are to create a mini pond or build a minibeast hotel.

• Put up a nest box. You can buy them or make your own (instructions from the Wildlife Trust or watch this RSPB video). It may take them a while to adopt a new box so don’t worry if they don’t use it straight away.
• Install a Swift Brick. Anyone having renovations or extensions made can build a Swift Brick into the walls for a permanent home.
• Ask the local council, builders and new house build contractors to install Swift Bricks and nest boxes.
• If you see renovation work starting on a building with a known nest site outside the breeding season, ask the builder/contractor if they are aware it is a nesting site (only if you are comfortable in doing this). A lot of builders are aware of Swift conservation work and are willing to help.
• If you see work starting in the breeding season let the builder/contractor know there are nests in the building and that Swifts are legally protected. If you are worried about doing this yourself, you can contact the Wildlife Crime Officer and explain the situation. Scaffolding should not be put up in a way that prevents Swifts from accessing their nests – they need at least 5 metres of clear space to enter the nest.

Swift Mapper is a free way to monitor where Swifts are nesting this year on mobile and on the website. By finding out where the Swifts are nesting, anyone interested in helping Swifts will be able to find the best places to take action and install new nest sites or where protection is needed.

The RSPB and other partners are asking people to record sights of screaming parties, occupied nesting sites, previously occupied nests or nest boxes, bricks, etc., whether occupied or not.

See 'How to use Swift Mapper – FAQs' for more information.

NB: Do not record sightings of Swifts flying high in the sky, over the countryside or water - they are probably just feeding as they will travel long distances to find food and these sightings will not record where the Swifts are nesting - you can report these using Birdtrack.

Can you spread the word and raise awareness about Swifts and the issues they are facing? Perhaps you could give a presentation for families, other units, at school or other community groups to give them information about how amazing Swifts are and what can be done to help them. Or you could make a poster or write a ‘zine’.

Presentation

• Play a recording of Swifts ‘screaming parties ‘ to show how noisy they are!
• Add in a fun activity such as a Swift game or craft.
• Make sure you explain what difficulties they are now facing.
• Use the activity ideas on this page to give suggestions of how everyone can help.
• Send your audience away with some seeds for them to plant and grow flowers for insects.
• Ask your audience to give a promise or pledge to help Swifts.
• Ask them to write to local building companies and councils to ensure that new houses being built have Swift bricks or boxes automatically installed – the more people who write the more likely it is that this will happen.

Why not join a local Swift Group to help Swifts? Find your nearest group here.