It was a lovely summer’s evening when we gathered in Titchfield Village Hall on Tuesday 2nd June for a community talk with Professor Catharine Gale of Hampshire Swifts — and what a fascinating hour it was.
Catharine took us on a journey through the extraordinary world of the common swift: how to identify one, what they eat, their breeding range across the British Isles and Europe, and the epic migration that carries them to and from sub-Saharan Africa each year. We learned that swifts spend almost their entire lives on the wing — only landing to nest — and that once a fledgling leaves its nest, it typically won’t touch down again for three whole years. They pair for life, return to the same nest site every year, and are the fastest bird in level flight, reaching an amazing 69 mph.
The sobering news: the British swift population has fallen by an estimated 70% between 1994 and 2024. The biggest single driver is the loss of nest sites — thousands disappear each year through home renovation and repair. However, data shows that the installation of swift boxes and bricks can have a significant and positive impact on the swift population in an area, and in fact, following a survey in 2019, around 20 boxes were installed in and around the village.
Catharine was impressed by the thoughtful questions from the floor — from what to do if you find a grounded swift (place it in a box somewhere quiet, offer water on a cotton bud, and if it recovers release it from open hands held high — never throw it into the air; injured birds should go to a wildlife rescue such as Hart near Alton), to the finer points of nest box design (she’d brought one along to show), to the importance of swift callers in attracting birds to new boxes. On the latter, she’s since confirmed that swifts are rather particular — a poor or incorrect call simply won’t work. To download the correct swift attraction calls in MP3 format for a player or other device, visit https://www.swift-conservation.org/Shopping!.htm.
So what more can we do for the swifts returning to Titchfield each year?
🐣 Add to the existing numbers of boxes in the village by installing one — or even two. Ten enthusiastic people signed up on the night to have one from Hampshire Swifts.
🏘️ Talk to your neighbours about having a box. Perhaps we can turn the streets of Titchfield into swift streets?
🔭 Join in with a swift survey around the village on fine evenings in June. Eleven people signed up on the night, and the WhatsApp group is being set up very soon.
🧱 Maybe even campaign for local new developments to install swift bricks?!
Thank you to everyone who came along, and to Catharine for such an expert and inspiring evening. We need to give those amazing birds a warm welcome in Titchfield for years to come! 🐦
