Swifts, Swallows and Martins Survey 2026
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Why we need to conduct a survey
Swift numbers are plummeting - a 60% decline since 1995 and they’re now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. For this reason its important to know where our swifts are and to monitor their numbers and breeding patterns. RSPB has set up an on-line Swift Mapper and there are very few sightings of swifts in the 4Bs. We would like to encourage our 4Bs residents to join a survey of these remarkable birds, together with their close relatives the swallows house and sand martins. To join the survey. 1 Download Merlin Bird ID App to help you identify the birds 2 Look for nesting sites particularly around the eves of buildings and watch and listen, deploying your Merlin App 3 Report any sightings with location and ideally Merlin App sound ID to 4bnaturegroup@gmail or share in 4Bs Whats App Nature Group 4 Enter your record on the RSPB Swift Mapper |
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RSPB Swift Mapper www.swiftmapper.org.uk/
While there are many sightings in Dorking and Reigate there are very few in the 4Bs.
While there are many sightings in Dorking and Reigate there are very few in the 4Bs.
Our Most Remarkable Bird
The Swift is a medium-sized aerial bird . It's a superb flyer. Sleeping, eating, bathing and even mating on the wing (while flying), Swifts rarely touch the ground and can spend up to 200 consecutive days in the air. They are also the fastest birds in level flight, with an impressive top speed of 69mph. Swifts are plain sooty brown, with a white throat, but in flight against the sky they appear black. They have curved wings and a forked tail. Swifts are summer visitors, breeding across the UK, but are most numerous in the south and east. Spending their winters in central and southern Africa, Swifts fly up to 14,000 miles a year between Europe and Africa.
The Swift is a medium-sized aerial bird . It's a superb flyer. Sleeping, eating, bathing and even mating on the wing (while flying), Swifts rarely touch the ground and can spend up to 200 consecutive days in the air. They are also the fastest birds in level flight, with an impressive top speed of 69mph. Swifts are plain sooty brown, with a white throat, but in flight against the sky they appear black. They have curved wings and a forked tail. Swifts are summer visitors, breeding across the UK, but are most numerous in the south and east. Spending their winters in central and southern Africa, Swifts fly up to 14,000 miles a year between Europe and Africa.
After a long flight back from their summer in Africa, Swifts have one thing on their minds – to mate. Swifts pair for life, returning to the same site each year for a little nest renovation before laying and incubating their eggs. They like to live in houses and churches, squeezing through tiny gaps to nest inside roofs. But as more old buildings are renovated and gaps in soffits closed up, Swift nest sites are fast disappearing. The RSPB have developed a useful Guide explaining how we can help the swift population recover.
| rspb_guide_helping_swifts.pdf |