Talk – “Exeter’s Amazing Swifts” by Edward Jackson on 19th March 2025

We learned that Swifts appeared over 60 million years ago, as we were shown a photo of a fossilised specimen, recognisably similar to those we know today. While not closely related to Swallows and Martins, their similarity is an example of convergent evolution. These summer visitors, seen here from May to August, spend the rest of the year in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their diet is invertebrates, mainly insects but also spiders, caught on the wing and gathered into a bolus which they take back to the young in the nest.

Their instinct is to return to the same nest each year, which will usually be in buildings, in hidden spaces under the eaves. The popularity of uPVC fascias and soffits fitted to older buildings has deprived many birds of their nesting sites. “Swift bricks” have been developed which could be installed in new structures, providing a nesting chamber sealed from the rest of the building. Formerly Swifts would nest in crevices in cliffs and even in old dead trees where a suitable hole existed. The drastic decline in numbers of the Common Swift in the UK is believed to be a result of the loss of nesting sites and a decline in insect numbers.

The young birds launch themselves from their nest site which is necessarily in a tall building, as they begin a flight which will last for three years without landing. Swifts feed, sleep and even mate on the wing. Should you find a Swift on the ground, it may be hungry and dehydrated. We were advised: on no account try to throw it up into the air, but consult the Swift Conservation website for advice.

Richard Farr