Lack of Swifts and others

Kennyeth · 28th June 2017, 08:05

I have noticed...more by their absence than anything else, we have no Swifts here now. I heard some a couple of months back but after those we had some cold spells and probably a lack of flying food for them.
Reading up a bit on them there seems to be less and less each year especially here in the North.
I would be interested to hear if anyone else has missed them this year ?
I am only curious and not making it a study.
Ken.

Freebyrd · 28th June 2017, 08:30

No shortage of Swifts here (South Edinburgh). Last week I was in Cumbria (Pooley Bridge) for four days, plenty flying around the camp site. Also a few at Furzton Lake, Milton Keynes over last weekend.

andymc · 28th June 2017, 08:54

Yes, they're less common around here too - I've only seen two pairs recently. Part of the problem is the ever-diminishing supply of suitable nesting sites, as older buildings either get demolished or have cracks & holes in the walls/roof sealed up.

They're incredible birds - I love watching them, better than any stunt aircraft! Very acrobatic when hunting, and they eat flies etc so are good for pest control. They follow the same migration route each year and can actually spend years on the wing, sleeping mid-flight. They mate for life, and the young get ready for flight by doing push ups inside the nest ...

If you like, you can make a "swiftbox" fairly easily to help them out a little - that will become a lifetime home for them, sometimes even a multi-generational one as they usually go back to the same nesting spot over & over. It's the same size as a shoebox really, so you'll only need a few bits of plywood and the correct size of flat drill bit for putting the entrance hole at the bottom (about 3cm x 6cm). Mount it under the eaves of your house, or on a tall shed/garage etc - anywhere that's a good 16 feet high or more. Eventually they will find it and use it. They don't make a mess below and don't seem to be bothered by people coming & going on the ground - but if they think you're actually coming after their eggs/young then both parents will swoop around you to try & intimidate you away, and they will abandon the nest if it is actually disturbed. So if you're curious, pop a webcam in there from the start!

Darcydog · 28th June 2017, 09:57

Good suggestion Andy

We bought my MiL a bird feeder that had suckers to stick it to window. We stuck it it on her patio doors so she could see them feeding from her chair.

She loved it!

I have noticed a decline in most small birds - not seem Swallows or Swifts for ages. Also Sparrows are far fewer in numbers and don't flock like I remember - they are there but keep to the hedges - as per "hedge sparrows" I assume?

A local bird watcher puts it down to the dramatic increase in Birds of Prey over the last decade or so.

I now regularly see Buzzards and Red Kites "on station".

So maybe not surprising that the "small fry" are keeping a low profile.

andymc · 28th June 2017, 10:36

Birds of prey numbers are still only a fraction of what they used to be, so that won't be the main issue. Buzzards have been successfully reintroduced around here, but are much more likely to go for mice/rats than an athletic bird on the wing like the swift. A much bigger problem is the destruction of hedgerows and meadows in order to create vast, uninterrupted fields of monocultural pasture. The resulting loss of habitat and biodiversity is a double hammer blow for bird life - no such thing as a corncrake round here any more, for example. Same goes for the deliberate burning of vasts areas of gorse/moorland, especially when done during the nesting season.

Of course, ongoing pesticide use (especially neonicotinoids, but by no means limited to them) is also a great way of destroying what they feed on, as well as consequentially poisoning the birds themselves. Here, have a depressing read - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enviro...ticide_effects

It's one reason why I buy as much certified organic food as I can afford to, when I'm not eating what I've grown myself. I don't think organic food is generally tastier (with the possibly exception of carrots!) or contains more nutrients than non-organic, but its production is nowhere near as immediately toxic to wildlife - nor to myself, over the longer term.

28th June 2017, 08:05	#1
Kennyeth This is my second home No more Rover Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Posts: 5,881 Thanks: 1,625 Thanked 1,308 Times in 998 Posts	Lack of Swifts and others I have noticed...more by their absence than anything else, we have no Swifts here now. I heard some a couple of months back but after those we had some cold spells and probably a lack of flying food for them. Reading up a bit on them there seems to be less and less each year especially here in the North. I would be interested to hear if anyone else has missed them this year ? I am only curious and not making it a study. Ken.

28th June 2017, 08:30	#2
Freebyrd Posted a thing or two MG ZT-T Join Date: May 2010 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 1,667 Thanks: 992 Thanked 384 Times in 277 Posts	No shortage of Swifts here (South Edinburgh). Last week I was in Cumbria (Pooley Bridge) for four days, plenty flying around the camp site. Also a few at Furzton Lake, Milton Keynes over last weekend. __________________ MG ZT-T 180+Sports Auto Date of Birth: 21 May 2002

28th June 2017, 08:54	#3
andymc Posted a thing or two Wedgewood Connie SE / Black Club SE Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Ballymoney Posts: 1,459 Thanks: 542 Thanked 583 Times in 365 Posts	Yes, they're less common around here too - I've only seen two pairs recently. Part of the problem is the ever-diminishing supply of suitable nesting sites, as older buildings either get demolished or have cracks & holes in the walls/roof sealed up. They're incredible birds - I love watching them, better than any stunt aircraft! Very acrobatic when hunting, and they eat flies etc so are good for pest control. They follow the same migration route each year and can actually spend years on the wing, sleeping mid-flight. They mate for life, and the young get ready for flight by doing push ups inside the nest ... If you like, you can make a "swiftbox" fairly easily to help them out a little - that will become a lifetime home for them, sometimes even a multi-generational one as they usually go back to the same nesting spot over & over. It's the same size as a shoebox really, so you'll only need a few bits of plywood and the correct size of flat drill bit for putting the entrance hole at the bottom (about 3cm x 6cm). Mount it under the eaves of your house, or on a tall shed/garage etc - anywhere that's a good 16 feet high or more. Eventually they will find it and use it. They don't make a mess below and don't seem to be bothered by people coming & going on the ground - but if they think you're actually coming after their eggs/young then both parents will swoop around you to try & intimidate you away, and they will abandon the nest if it is actually disturbed. So if you're curious, pop a webcam in there from the start! __________________ My blood brother is an immigrant A beautiful immigrant My blood brother's Freddie Mercury A Nigerian mother of three

28th June 2017, 10:36	#5
andymc Posted a thing or two Wedgewood Connie SE / Black Club SE Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Ballymoney Posts: 1,459 Thanks: 542 Thanked 583 Times in 365 Posts	Birds of prey numbers are still only a fraction of what they used to be, so that won't be the main issue. Buzzards have been successfully reintroduced around here, but are much more likely to go for mice/rats than an athletic bird on the wing like the swift. A much bigger problem is the destruction of hedgerows and meadows in order to create vast, uninterrupted fields of monocultural pasture. The resulting loss of habitat and biodiversity is a double hammer blow for bird life - no such thing as a corncrake round here any more, for example. Same goes for the deliberate burning of vasts areas of gorse/moorland, especially when done during the nesting season. Of course, ongoing pesticide use (especially neonicotinoids, but by no means limited to them) is also a great way of destroying what they feed on, as well as consequentially poisoning the birds themselves. Here, have a depressing read - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enviro...ticide_effects It's one reason why I buy as much certified organic food as I can afford to, when I'm not eating what I've grown myself. I don't think organic food is generally tastier (with the possibly exception of carrots!) or contains more nutrients than non-organic, but its production is nowhere near as immediately toxic to wildlife - nor to myself, over the longer term. __________________ My blood brother is an immigrant A beautiful immigrant My blood brother's Freddie Mercury A Nigerian mother of three

28th June 2017, 09:57	#4
Darcydog This is my second home Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 5,428 Thanks: 3,123 Thanked 3,170 Times in 2,096 Posts	Good suggestion Andy We bought my MiL a bird feeder that had suckers to stick it to window. We stuck it it on her patio doors so she could see them feeding from her chair. She loved it! I have noticed a decline in most small birds - not seem Swallows or Swifts for ages. Also Sparrows are far fewer in numbers and don't flock like I remember - they are there but keep to the hedges - as per "hedge sparrows" I assume? A local bird watcher puts it down to the dramatic increase in Birds of Prey over the last decade or so. I now regularly see Buzzards and Red Kites "on station". So maybe not surprising that the "small fry" are keeping a low profile.