As part of Therfield Parish Council’s increased focus on biodiversity, three of our councillors recently attended a fascinating event in Royston run by the Hertford Swift Group to raise awareness of swifts. Swifts are now considered a critically endangered species in the UK, with populations declining significantly. They are on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. The Hertford Swift Group is keen to encourage as many residents as possible to put a swift nest box on their house. The old style of house with eaves and wall crevices in which swifts used to nest has been superseded by modern building designs which do not have appropriate places for swifts to nest. Swifts live an aerial life, only touching down to nest. Once established, swifts return to the same nest site each year. (Unlike house martins, they do not make a mess down the wall of your house!) Like other rural villages, Therfield is a perfect place for swifts because of the abundance of flying insects over the fields. Swifts need to eat 100,000 flying insects each day!
Therfield Parish Council is currently in contact with Clive of the Hertford Swift Group to arrange a presentation in the Fordham Memorial Hall, Therfield, about swifts and swift nest boxes. If you would like to learn about swifts and how we can help to prevent their decline, please keep an eye on the Therfield Parish Council website (therfieldparishcouncil.org) and/or google groups for the presentation date! If you already have a swift nest box, please do attend because advice is given about the optimum height and position (avoiding direct sun as young birds could overheat and die).
Swifts usually arrive in the UK in late April and leave in late July, returning to last year’s nest sites. However, young birds are prospecting for next year’s nest sites in May/June so these are the birds that we are aiming to encourage to nest in Therfield/Kelshall from next year onwards.
If you have immediate concerns about swift box positioning, Clive from the Hertford Swift Group is very happy for you to email him but please don’t expect an immediate reply as he’s currently away. He runs this group for free in his spare time.
Here are his contact details:
Hertfordswifts@gmail.com
Facebook: @HertfordSwifts
There is a free app called SwiftMapper. Its purpose is to record the location of nesting swifts around the UK. It will build a picture of where nesting swifts are. Please do add to it whenever you see a swift!
Thank you for all your messages in support of this initiative.
Vanessa Atha (Therfield Parish Council)