The Swift is one of our most interesting summer visitors; in May, it leaves sub-Saharan Africa and migrates to the UK to breed, flying over 5,000 miles. The number of swifts in the UK has declined by more than 60% since 1995, and by about 40% on the Isle of Man in recent decades. We recently supported Manx BirdLife and Manx Ornithological Society at the Poulsom Park Celebration of the Swifts. We were supporting awareness of and celebrating the Swift migration, with a Swift quiz and identification game for the public to engage with. There were also art activities, a swift migration game and poetry from the Manx Poetry Society. 

When a Swift fledges, it won't land again until it is ready to breed; this can be up to three years in the air. They can eat in flight by catching airborne insects and can drink by skimming the tops of lakes for water. They can even mate and sleep in the air. They can reach speeds of 70mph and are a plain sooty brown with a white throat, but in the sky can appear black. They have long, pointed wings held in a boomerang shape in flight and a short, forked tail. Swifts are often mistaken for House Martins or Swallows but have some key differences in behaviour; swifts are masters of the sky and won't be spotted perching but might be seen flying around rooftops in groups. 

Each year when Swifts return to the Island, they will instinctually go back to the same nesting spot. These nests, made of feathers and grasses, rest in hidden spaces under the eaves of buildings, through holes in the brickwork or fascia, but these are being replaced with plastic boards that completely block the swifts' entrance to the nest. When the entrance to a swift's nesting place is covered up, it will continually fly at the space it once was, harming itself and damaging its wings, and dying as a result. The decline in Swifts in the UK is most likely due to the loss of these nesting spaces. When new nesting places, such as Swift boxes and nest bricks, are installed, Swift colonies can rebuild. Placing nesting bricks in new building developments will create nesting spaces for future years to come. You can make your own Swift box using the guide from the Manx Wildlife Trust or they can be purchased from many different sites like the RSPB shop. In some areas it is a regulation for Swift boxes to be installed in buildings over 5 meters high, however there are currently no regulations for Swift/nesting boxes on new buildings in the Isle of Man. If new builds incorporated nesting into there plans we could help develop and support the existing Manx wildlife. 

Having more Swifts on the island will not only restore the struggling population but will also boost natural pest control. Swifts are highly efficient "aerial vacuum cleaners", consuming thousands of flying insects and benefiting local gardens and agriculture. Currently, the Swift is a Red-listed in the UK and Amber-listed on the Isle of Man, so helping to boost its population will secure its presence on the island for future generations to enjoy. Wildlife-friendly urban development and retrofitting are key to creating more safe spaces for the Swifts to return to each year.