A building that was a noted nesting site for swifts, among the UK’s most at-risk birds, has been demolished during the nesting season, highlighting significant weaknesses in the protection of wildlife from development, campaigners say. Contractors for the housebuilder Hill Group carried out the demolition of Regent House near Dorking station in Surrey over the last few […]
Tag: Swifts
Mozambican reserve harbors largest documented breeding population of rare falcon
A new study reports that the Niassa Special Reserve, a 4-million-hectare (10-million-acre) wilderness in northern Mozambique, harbors the largest documented breeding population of Taita falcons. A survey that focused on 35 of the reserve’s towering granite inselbergs found 14 pairs of the birds. The study authors estimate the entire reserve could harbor up to 76 […]
Swifts’ decline: how can Britons help these remarkable birds?
What are swifts and why are they in trouble? The swift (Apus apus) is an acrobatic aerial bird, a remarkable sprinter and endurance flyer that rarely touches the ground. When these sickle-winged birds do come down – after several years in perpetual flight, even sleeping midair – it is to nest in the eaves of […]
Swifts need more nest boxes, but that alone won’t be enough. Here’s why
Swifts need two things. Safe, dry, nest holes high up on walls and lots of flying insects to eat—but both are in decreasing supply. Nice, neat roof lines on modern housing, free from cracks and crevices, do not make for good swift hospitality. Campaigners are calling for the widespread installation of swift boxes or bricks […]