How we can help declining Swifts — the birds who sleep in the sky

Swift nesting boxes and 'nest bricks' could really help these speedy birds. Info on where and how to install these below...

Swift in flight. Picture: Piotr Szczypa / swiftconservation.ie

Each evening now the swifts screech overhead, their piercing calls part of the soundtrack of summer. These birds are so charismatic that they set the character of midsummer in many places, both town and country. At times they fly high, soaring in big loops, in and out of sight as they meander around tall trees, big buildings, or church steeples in the distance. Then they return and swoop low, speeding past buildings and trees at close quarters, agile and expert. The swoosh of their passing near overhead is a wondrous experience.