The Swift Local Network (SLN) is an informal body comprised of over 130 Swift groups located across the UK and Ireland. Members communicate via the swiftslocalnetwork Google Group and from time to time meet in person at SLN national meetings.
In the past 7 years there have been 3 such meetings, 2016 & 2018 in Bristol and a 2023 meeting which was held in Oxford on the 11th November. These meetings are preceded by an evening social event in a local pub and then on the following day there is a programme of talks, displays and the opportunity to exchange ideas with Swift enthusiasts from across the country. This year there was an interesting agenda with some familiar speakers and some new.
The day was kicked off by George Candelin, a man with the enviable title of “keeper of the tower”. He has worked at the Oxford Natural History Museum for over 30 years and is responsible for the longest studied Swift colony in the UK. George took us through the breeding success of the colony since records began in 1947 and described the many challenges faced by the colony in that time period. A “must-read” is the diary written describing the day-to-day events at the tower and how they impact the Swifts. Although the colony has seen better days in terms of absolute numbers, the colony does seem to be increasing again from lows caused by very poor summers and/or marauding sparrowhawks which can have a devastating effect on breeding success.
In contrast to the rollercoaster trend of breeding Swift pairs at the tower, Dick Newell of Action for Swifts reviewed our current understanding of the UK Swift population, starting with the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) summary for Swift which has shown a progressive and consistent reduction of over 60% in reported sightings since the survey began in 1994. This trend, when combined with an estimate of the population published in 2013, suggests a total UK population of around 50,000 pairs. Dick contrasted this with the reported numbers seen on migration, which would support a much higher population, and used figures from BTO BirdTrack to come up with yet another population estimate and possibly a different rate of decline. Dick also pointed out that most, if not all, monitored swift colonies, when supplemented with new nest sites, will increase, suggesting we have a lot to learn about the Swift population in the UK.
One of the enduring stories about Swifts is their ability to remain airborne for years at a time, landing only to breed. But do they sleep in the air as is commonly thought? This was addressed by Tanya Hoare of Sedbergh Community Swifts who did a review of all that is known about sleep in birds, and challenged commonly held assumptions about sleep in swifts. She showed that it is hugely variable in birds and very difficult to measure and assess.
Tim Collins has been building up and monitoring the success of a Swift colony on his house near Rutland Water for the past 20 years and he showed us some of his data. His is one of the colonies referred to above which started off small but has successfully grown as new nest boxes are installed. On average the productivity of his birds is around 2.5 young per nest per year, a figure which is somewhat above that found elsewhere in the country, a fact he puts down to the high and constant availability of insect food associated with the reservoir.
The last talk of the morning was from Louise Bentley who, amongst other activities such as Swift rehabilitation and running the social media for Swift Awareness Week, set up Bolton & Bury Swifts. Louise described how she was motivated to start working for Swift conservation in 2014 and has gone from strength to strength in terms of increasing the profile of Swifts amongst the wider community. One of her latest projects is installing bespoke swift terrace boxes on RHS Garden Bridgewater.
First on after lunch was artist and Swift and House Martin enthusiast Jonathan Pomroy, who pre-empted this account and published his own summary of his talk.
Next up was Jacey Jackson who presented a personal story of her fight to restore Swifts to her neighbourhood following the destruction of a nearby colony in Shipston-on-Stour. Hugely inspiring, she showed what can be achieved by sheer determination and drive.
The Swifts of Rowsley in the Derbyshire Dales was the title of the penultimate talk by Andy Broadhurst, a topic which will be covered in a separate blog and which was followed by the incomparable Edward Mayer, a motivational speaker par excellence. Edward runs the renowned organisation Swift Conservation and discussed how the on-going destruction of the natural world is impacting on all aspects of our lives.
Some of the most rewarding aspects of the SLN get-togethers are unrelated to the talks, however, and despite the value of social media and instant communication, sometimes a fact-to-face conversation yields insights of great value. Colleagues in Suffolk and Hertfordshire were especially enlightening, particularly when discussing Swift surveying and planning issues and it was a delight to catch-up with friends & colleagues from Oxford, Hampshire, Salisbury and West Sussex.
At the end of the meeting, Laurinda Luffman of the RSPB announced the release of a new swift video for use with planners, developers & local communities.
The meeting was hosted and run by Colm Ó Caomhánaigh and Rachel Pearson, Joint Coordinators of the Oxford Swift City Group with assistance from Tanya Hoare, Peta Sams and Chris Mason from SLN. Thanks are due to them for a well-organised and informative day.