Bromley Swift Survey from the Bromley RSPB

How many swifts are nesting near you?

Swifts have been nesting in our buildings for centuries and have been a common sight performing their aerial acrobatics over our borough’s towns in the summer. They spend the rest of their year in Africa.

Unfortunately, their numbers are in severe decline. Between 1995 and 2015 the UK lost more than half its swifts. Numbers appear to have fallen even more in Bromley over the same period.

The RSPB believes that loss of nest sites is at least partly responsible. Due to our tendency to seal up buildings during renovation or knock them down, swifts are returning to discover their nest site has gone or access is blocked.

Action is urgently needed to prevent swifts becoming extinct in Bromley.

We are running a Bromley Swift Survey between May and July this year to discover where they are still nesting. We need to find this out quickly so that action to provide nesting spaces can be targeted in the right areas.

No knowledge of swifts or previous experience of doing surveys is needed. It will be really simple and easy, and help will be available if needed, for example on how to identify a swift.

We will ask participants to go for a short walk along the streets near to where they live or another location of their choice. A balmy summer’s evening would be best as the swifts will be most active then. The walk should be repeated at least once a month between May and July – so a total of three short walks. The participant would make a note of any swifts they see flying at rooftop level as this means that the birds will be nesting nearby.

It would be great if you could take part. The more people who join in the better as we will build a more detailed picture of Bromley’s swift population.

To take part in the survey or find out more information you can either:

• email our Group’s Recorder Peter Smart on bromleyrspbrecords@gmail.com
• call the Group on 07392 790 719.

RSPB Bromley Local Group