The ‘Dumfries and Galloway What’s Going On‘ news pages are highlighting the plight of the incredible migrant bird visitor, the swift, asking for information on local nesting sites and swift screaming parties in Dumfries and Galloway to be sent to RSPB Scotland’s Julia Gallagher on: 01556 670 478 or email Julia.Gallagher@rspb.org.uk

Have you seen any around the Caerlaverock area? Here is a brilliant video, you can clearly hear their classic screeches, with more reading here:

 


…and some background information. (To see the full DGWGO article, click here):

Imagine spending two years on the wing, your feet never once touching the ground, and then when you finally come in for a landing, there’s nowhere to go. 

This is now the story for many of Dumfries and Galloway’s swifts, the sickle-shaped birds that spend their winters in Africa, and then migrate to sites all over Europe during the summer to breed.

Swifts have declined by an alarming 38 per cent since 1995 and are now an amber-listed species on the list of Birds of Conservation Concern. Help is now needed to support the remaining population.

“As more old houses are renovated or demolished, traditional nesting sites are being lost, and new buildings often don’t offer suitable replacements. We know that swift colonies have been lost in Dumfries and Galloway due to building renovations, which is very sad since it is such a relatively easy thing to remedy.”

Swifts will soon be heading back to Africa for the winter, but you can still act to help them by:

  • Contacting the RSPB Scotland Dumfries and Galloway Office to give your record of nesting swifts or ‘screaming parties’ of swifts flying low overhead.
  • Recording where you see or hear swifts through the RSPB’s survey: rspb.org.uk/swift survey.
  • Keeping swifts in mind when making repairs, leaving occupied sites undisturbed in the summer, and protecting existing nesting holes.
  • Putting up swift nest boxes.
  • Commenting on local planning applications, asking your local authority to protect and provide swift nest place

Photo credit: Penny Philcox  A drawing to help people distinguish Hirundines (and similar) from each other.