Thank you for your responses. Very sad to hear our skies emptying of swifts but they can be helped !
*Email me at superswifts@outlook.com to receive our swift e-news and find out more.
* Send your records in to the bird group they will be forwarded to Greater Manchester Ecology Unit who I'm very pleased to say are mapping all our swift colonies- with a view to recommending internal bricks on new builds.
* You can put up swift nest boxes and to attract them play swift calls on a timer - it worked for me. We have never had swifts on our estate but I had my first pair raise two young last year - it was the best thing ever when they fledged.
* We make & sell cheap swift boxes & supply mini amplifiers, with a mini speaker that you fit close to the box. The calls I upload to a memory card. I sell the call player complete kit for £26 which is cost price.
Always love to hear from anyone who can help swifts ! Best Wishes, Louise - Bolton and Bury Swifts
In the words of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" " You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"
Vic,
I think the people who care, i.e. the likes of us, know what we had. It's the rest of society the lyric applies to, and in the main they don't care because they never noticed they were there in the first place. We are definitely heading for a 'Silent Running' senario. If you are not aware of this movie, check it out.
Cheers,
Andy Bissitt
-- Edited by Andy Bissitt on Friday 20th of October 2017 08:33:15 PM
Used to get up to a couple of dozen over my house near Hyde Hospital and nearby on summer evenings. Last year they were down to 7 or 8 birds and this year just a single pair. There were 3 or 4 breeding pairs in and around Nelson St. Hyde, plus over 50 pairs of House Martins.
The Swifts have gone and the House Martins were down to 3 pairs this year. When I lived near Broadbottom there were at least 150 pairs of Swifts and probably more, as umpteen streets were full of breeding pairs in the 1950s and 60s . Almost all the stone terraces have had loft
conversions and I doubt whether any breed there now. It seems strange (and sad) now walking through Broadbottom in late spring and summer, and seeing none.
In the words of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" " You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"
I've just spotted this thread so sorry it's a bit late, but we get Swifts nesting on our estate in Bredbury every year. On a clear summer evening I will regularly see 50+ screaming over my house. Unfortunately my house has facias but I've seen them go into next door's roof space.
Really sorry to hear about the decline of swifts in Gee Cross and I expect that story is replicated in many towns around the UK. In the areas you mention I wonder whether you can confirm whether the houses have been re-roofed perhaps by the local authority, it does seem a very sudden decline as if all the roofs have been done at once. It would be good if you can check these streets again on a nice evening or two at the end of July when I do hope there maybe some more swifts to see ,if any have managed to successfully breed. It will be interesting to see the numbers at the end of the season.
Do let me know and if you could submit a bird group record for the few swifts you do see, this is much appreciated as it will be passed to Greater Manchester Ecology Unit in due course and this data maybebe useful in helping future mitigation for swifts. I would like to see new developments including swift bricks but the more data we have the more chance appropriate recommendations can be made.
Thanks Zoe - that would be great if you find any, otherwise if you are submitting any Rodis records - if swifts are low flying and screaming around rooftops - these can be submitted as Display & courtship or you can add this to comments on the bird group records with the name of the street. Thanks for your help with swift records it's much appreciated! Louise
I have never seen so few breeding Swifts where I live in Gee Cross ( near what was Hyde hospital). I used to see c20 on fine evenings for year after year until last year when there were only 7 or 8 present. This year I have only seen a single pair on occasions . There used to be a small colony of no more than 5 pairs around Nelson St Hyde;there was still at least a couple of pairs last year, but I've walked through the area a few times and not recorded any. There was also a colony of 15 - 20 pairs off Dowson Road, although I've not checked this area for a few years but I think this colony might have gone, or at least considerably reduced.
The decline has been much more sudden than that of the House Martin which has seen a slow decline over around 20 years or so. The 50+ pairs on and around Nelson St are now down to around 2 or 3 pairs with single pairs on Peel St, Mansfield Road and Halton St.
Have seen screeching over council estates in Broughton and mating on wing but no confirmed nests so far, unfortunately. I will let you know as soon as I do.
Thank you for submitting your records! Glad you love swifts too! I am giving a talk at Leigh OS on 2 March next year, would be great if you can make it. I am also at Horwich on 23 November giving a talk to The Open Door society. Best Wishes, Louise
I have set up a conservation project - Bolton & Bury Swifts - to help try & address the decline of this enigmatic species in my local area. I am also volunteering for RSPB with a specific Swift remit, they have a funding bid pending to create homes for swifts in Greater Manchester, through their "Swift Cities" project. Swifts, as you will know are almost entirely dependent upon our homes & buildings for their nest spaces but due to modern building materials & regulations, are being increasingly excluded & have suffered a 47% decline bet. 1995-2014. I would like to ask for your help! - As it's really important to get an accurate picture of where swifts are currently nesting throughout the county. Therefore I would be most grateful if you could keep an eye out for any swift colonies and submit your records via the Bird Group's Excel recording sheet or Mapmate. What is important is to record the correct breeding code and if swifts are "screaming & low-flying at rooftop height", the correct code would be D - Courtship and Display, this behaviour probably indicates there is a nest nearby and is really valuable. Could you also add in the comments field the Address or Street Name of your sighting.
If you are interested in finding out what we are doing locally, do contact me at superswifts@outlook.com, I am involved in attending events, giving talks, including to children. My hubby makes swifts boxes, we also supply mini amplifiers to play swift attraction calls. Another role I have is trying to contact developers to request the installation of swift bricks but this can be a difficult one, as unfortunately they are not as keen as they might be! For information on this or Swift Cities please contact me as louise.bentley@rspb.org.uk
I will keep you up-dated with further developments to try & help swifts in the County and I'm very grateful to you for adding Swift records, especially nesting or courtship & display records. If you are interested in Swifts too, do get in touch!
