Save our Swifts!
A superb flyer, they rarely touch the ground and you’ll not see them perching anywhere, save in their nests. They eat, bathe, mate and even sleep ‘on the wing’. But their numbers have been in sharp decline. How can you help?
The Village Hall hosted an excellent speaker on February 11th, 2026, invited by the Parish Council Environment Committee. Chris Mason of Cherwell Swifts started by giving an audience of more than 40 villagers a whistle-stop tour of swift, swallow and house martin identification and nesting habits. Not least, so we would know where to look out for swift nests and swift activity around the village, NOT confusing the three species!
It appears we have a small returning colony in The Crescent and villagers were also able to recall old nest sites in the upper levels of the Village Hall and Pre-School building. Decades of improving building standards and better insulated homes have reduced the availability of desirable nooks and crannies of older housing stock, public buildings and the like.
The main thrust of the presentation then moved onto activities to encourage new swift colonies to the area, notably by putting up swift boxes. Really enthusiastic swift conservationists have even played swift calls over loudspeakers near their new boxes – with some success.
Chris highlighted several organisation’s websites, as well as his own, that are excellent sources of information on swifts, buying nesting boxes from about £25, where and how to mount them and even providing the plans for keen DIYers.
banburyornithologicalsociety.org.uk
cherwell-swifts-conservation-project-2013-report
Big thanks to Martin Dale for his lead role in organising the talk.
Greg Elphick