One of the most beautiful – and most interesting – birds to spot in the sky are swifts, migrating to the UK annually from Africa to raise their chicks. You can see them from late April onwards before they head off to warmer climes from early August, so now’s the time to keep an eye out for them.

They’re incredible flyers (as their name might well suggest!) and they hardly ever touch the ground, sleeping, eating, bathing and mating while in flight. Quite the feat, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Sadly, swifts are now included on the Red List, which means that they’re of high conservation concern, having suffered a severe decline in population. Numbers dropped by 66 per cent between 1995 and 2022, driven by a decline in insects and also because modern building practices have reduced their nesting opportunities.

How to encourage swifts in the garden

If you’re keen to help support wild bird populations and start seeing more swifts at home, the good news is that there’s a lot you can do.

Giving them somewhere to nest is a great place to begin and you can install swift boxes beneath the eaves of your roof so that they have a safe place in which to hatch and raise their chicks

Swifts return to the same nesting site each year and they prefer high locations, which is why they’ve been struggling of late, because many old buildings have been lost over the years and many roof spaces have been repaired and filled in. Imagine flying all the way from Africa only to find that your nesting spot from the previous year simply wasn’t there any more!

The best place to put your swift box is on the wall of a building right under the eaves (where the roof hangs over the walls). Make sure that it’s at least 16ft off the ground and is easy for the birds to fly into.

Another option is to use a swift brick, which takes the place of a single brick in the surrounding masonry, featuring an integral nest concave for swifts to call home each year. These bricks are neat, tidy and easy to install, offering up an excellent solution to the problem.

And, of course, you can make a big difference by putting out delicious bird food to encourage them at home, as well. 

Check out our High Energy No Mess product, which would be great to help swifts out during the breeding season. If you need any further help or advice, get in touch with the Johnston & Jeff team today.