Oxford museum sees 47% decline in swift numbers

Every year, for 80 years swifts have returned to Oxford's Museum of Natural History to lay their eggs, but over the last decade, numbers have plummeted.

Spending 10 months of the year continuously flying and chasing perpetual summer, swifts only ever stop to lay their eggs but with little places left in the UK to do this, swifts are facing a "47% decline", said the museum.

It has 80 swift boxes in its tower and wants to encourage others to put one on their homes.

Education officer, Chris Jarvis said: "They have to nest with people, the old growth forests where they used to nest are gone…they now go in roof gaps, attics but all these sites are also going as people have conversions."

Swifts are the only birds that can fly continuously for 10 months straight. This means they sleep, eat and mate whilst in flight, making their chosen nesting locations very important.

It's why the museum has made a point of continuing their work with the species for so many years.

A swift survey has taken place every year in the museum's tower since the 1940's, making it one of the longest population studies of any bird colony in the world.

Jarvis said that so far this year, 14 swifts have been counted nesting in the tower, with more expected in the coming weeks: "It's absolute elation when you see the first swift arrive."

"They're the most aerial of birds but they need help…if people want to continue having swifts the best thing to do is put up a swift nest box."

The museum has a live camera of one of its swift boxes where you can watch the progress of swifts building their nests and how their eggs are getting on.

Other ways we can support swifts is in our garden, Jarvis said: "Swifts can eat over a million insects a day, so making your garden more wildflower friendly, planting more plants and encouraging insects into your garden is all helpful for swifts."

Jarvis said even though almost half of the population is facing decline, hope is still there for the species: "As long as they have good sites where they can nest and we cherish them and point out what wonderful birds these are, I think we can be optimistic.

"One thing that always sticks in my mind, is they've inspired all sorts of people from Shakespeare to Ted Hughes, the poet...and one of his pieces is about swifts and says 'behind the elms they've made it again' which means creation is still working and I think they're a sign of hope and summer.

"If we can protect this population, they're a sign of hope for all those other migrating species that come to our country."