Save our swifts

[DawnSE22]

Has anyone noticed a decline in swifts this summer? For those who haven?t looked up to the skies recently, they are the sooty brown birds, that have long, scythe-like wings and a short, forked tail that fly over the rooftops during the summer months screaming.

They use old buildings to nest in, which is why the Victorian houses found in ED are ideal. Sadly, their numbers have crashed (55% in the South East from 1994 to 2007), partly because when people refurbish and repair their roofs they don?t leave the kind of small gaps they need to get in and nest.

If you are having some work on your roof, please consider the following advice from Swift Conservation (www.swift-conservation.org):

1. Leave existing nest sites undisturbed

2. If re-roofing or replacing soffits or bargeboards make new access holes in the same place to replace the old ones

3. And if these are not possible, install a nest box

Southwark council is supposed to be helping swifts by getting developers to install suitable nesting sites (swift bricks) as part of its sustainable design and construction plan, which came out over a year ago, but so far the council has not got one developer to include swift bricks in their builds (such as the new Harris academy school on Forest hill Rd).

If you?re interested in helping swifts, check out the above website and please consider raising this issue with your councillor. Richard Thomas was very supportive when he was a councillor and James Barber has offered to follow up on this issue, but the more people that raise it, the greater likelihood of action.

Many thanks

Steven

[Marmora Man]

We still have lots of swifts on Marmora Road - last night sitting out on our little roof terrace as the sun set we saw masses of them wheeling around the house - some even flying within a couple of feet of our heads.

[tropica]

I don't think there is too much need to panic - although what DawnSE22 says is good practice - we've got lots. I think they were just a bit late arriving this year.

[lpool]

Don't have any in SE22 but do have several nests at house in Norfolk. Two years ago the numbers were right down, mainly due to poor summers for 2 years, but last year was probably a record for us with 7 house martin nests and 2 swift nests (who prefer to nest within the roof rather than roof void). I love watching them flying above Marmora Road.

[DawnSE22]

I think Tropica is right, the bad weather seems to have delayed them, as I've just had 24 over my house! I have recorded swift numbers since 2005 and this is comparable to other years, so it seems that swifts are probably holding their own in ED at the moment, although I don't know what numbers were like before then. Despite this, swifts are still extremely vulnerable since they rely so much on us for places to nest, particularly when so many houses are getting refurbished. UK wide they have experienced massive decreases like many of our migrant birds. I guess I posted this, as I wanted to raise awareness about how they can be helped and to try and get people to contact the council to ensure that they are doing all they can to protect them.

[Cassius]

I love swifts however gaps in your roofing can lead to your attic being inhabited by less welcome visitors such as squirrels.

[woofmarkthedog]

I'd love some..

Where can I order them..? or can I swap them for these pesky parakeets squawking in my trees

( though they do seem to like nice tall buildings )

W**F

[Tarot]

Most of our birds are in decline, because of the country practices, set out by the E,C,We used to have beautiful orchards,for all our creatures,including bees, hedgerows that stretched, from one end of the country to the other,There were thousands of hazel nut hedges,where people could pick the nuts ,just about anywhere in Kent It truly was the garden of England, You just have to ask anyone who ever went hop picking there, It was a paradise for all the birds insects, anmimals and people, But now you have to have all your fruit and vegatables.nuts, deliverd from abroad. Rendering our land barren and useless for anything to survive on it, Thats why we eat rotten fruit most of the time,and tasteless. It takes time and lots of fuel to get it here, Another reason, people are covering there gardens up . Wooden patios, there goes more rain forests,and the poor little birds cannot get to any worms or insects anymore, Maybe we should go back to the time when we didnt have dictators of Europe closing down our fertile land, and make thes greedy chocolate manufactures put our hazel hedges back, that would be agood start, and a few million Hawthorn hedes too We could at least try to reverse things, With Goverment help,and more of us growing bird friendly plants, apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, logan berry, Grow the fruit you want to eat, Change the world the revelution has started,.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Or more simply, you could pop to the Wildlife Centre in Marsden Road and pick up a hazel, beech, hawthorn, etc, sapling for ?1 and plant a hedge in your garden.

[SteveT]

I got two blackthorn for a quid from there a couple or three years ago, the healthy looking one died quite suddenly but the sickly one is now six feet tall.

It was covered in several pairs of copulating ladybirds in May,

which made me wonder why are they getting it in mygarden, when I wasn't,

and I'm higher up the food chain,

lousy swining insects having all the luck,

and it being a sloe tree seemed inappropriate, as they were right at it, and brazenly laughing at me.

[Michael Palaeologus]

They feed putside my living room window every summer evening. Very cool.

Having said that, my mate can watch bat feeding outside his living room window every summer evening. Cooler.

[tarafitness]

I swear I saw a bat last night from our study... though it could have just been a gigantic moth... hmm, anyone else seen any locally?

[bonniebird]

I saw 3 last night flying over Devonshire Rd in Forest Hill, they fly so well!

[candj]

This morning my husband found what turned out to be a swift in our back garden. Not knowing what it was and seeing the difficulty it had in flying we took it to the Wildlife Lodge in Beckenham and hoped for the best for the little beastie. We received a phone call from the Vet explaining what it was and how to release it back from an upstairs window. It was fantastic and my children were able to see this after school.

Now this evening, yet another swift flew into our garden bamboo at only head height and was unable to fly away. Again, husband brought it upstairs and the children cheered in glee seeing it fly away.

Has anyone else had this happen? I can't help but wonder how many of them are getting trapped somewhere near to ground level and unable to help themselves before a cat or fox does.

[Tarot]

Where is the wildlife centre, or Marsden road situated , Id like to visit it, Ihave one Hazel tree growing but aparently you need two if you want to get nuts, Same as Holly trees if you want red berries. Also watch out, those shiny metalic looking beetles are back eating all the Lavender and Rosemary plants,what to do , pests.Any suggestions?

[cate]

Marsden Rd is a tiny road between Ondine and Oglander so you can't miss the Wildlife Centre.

[jimmy two times]

Candj that story would bring a tear to a glass eye. I'm always rescuing animals in distress. They usually die on me, but my intentions are good and grilled sparrow done on the George Foreman is suprisingly tasty. Especially with a bit of Reggae Reggae sauce.