Excitement in our household here in the UK – the swifts have returned!
We always greet these harbingers of summer with great joy. Here for such a short time they are a reminder of the fragility and wonder of nature. They are pilgrims of a special kind; such tiny birds, travelling vast distances at amazing speeds in their quest for survival.
Our swifts will have returned from Africa, where they spend the winter. Before this was understood it was believed that swifts spent the winter hibernating in the mud at the bottom of ponds!
Flying high and fast swifts feed on insects taken in flight. The scythe-like silhouette of the swift is immediately identifiable, as is its shrill, screech-like call. Watching them wheeling, swooping and diving in the sky is one of those wonders that gladdens the heart. It’s almost as if they indulge in aerodynamic gymnastics for the sheer joy of it.
Since Roman times swifts have nested in buildings rather than in holes in trees or cliff faces. Older buildings – barns, churches and traditional houses – provide nooks and crannies ideal for these acrobatic little birds to breed and rear young – and that’s the only time they ever rest from flight. Swifts have a small beak but wide gape and they’re able to gather small insects at the back of the throat, where they use saliva to form a bolus that can be regurgitated and fed to their young.
Swifts have tiny feet with forward-pointing toes and they are unable to perch on wires like swallows. They can’t take off from the ground, either. If you see one of these beautiful birds grounded take it gently in your hand, raise your hand slowly with the swift’s head facing outwards and encourage it gently into flight. They have a life span of up to ten years – during that time it has been estimated that they could fly a distance equivalent to the moon and back.
Their conservation status is not known accurately owing to the difficulty in surveying a bird that spends its life flying. However, indications are that the population has declined in recent years, especially in England and Scotland. Their future survival depends on successful breeding – we can help by placing artificial swift boxes on the outside of our houses, either fixing them to walls or using one to replace a house brick.
So, let the summer begin. Rejoice in the swooping, screaming and chasing of the swifts, as they revel in their summer-long party. No social distancing here!