Taking swift action to protect their future

Posted 1st August 2024

With their numbers in worryingly steep decline, one group of passionate bird lovers are doing all they can to support the swifts and house martins who visit their town each year.

Sammy Jones spoke with Emma Rix from Save Wolverton’s Swifts and Martins, and discovered how you too, can make a difference…

We spend so long glued to our mobile devices or dashing from A to B that it can be easy to ignore the beauty that surrounds us – like the returning three dozen visitors who fly in and spend a third of their year in one of our towns.

Fast movers, you might struggle to see them, but there is no denying their shrill, high pitched screams. If you hear a swift, there is no mistaking it.

That sound is one of pure joy for the members of Save Wolverton’s Swifts and Martins, which is headed up by Emma, and Paul Dubery who took over the group that was founded several years ago by retired enthusiast Chris Gravel.

When the pandemic clipped our wings and grounded us, it couldn’t contain these little birds, who carried on regardless – making the not insignificant 5000 mile flight from Sub-Saharan Africa to their breeding sites on our doorstep. It’s a journey that takes five days, storms permitting.
A mammoth trek for any creature, and they do it without a packed lunch or the aid of a sat-nav!

“Lockdown gave us more time to focus on the group, and with the support of a council grant we bought around 70 swift boxes which were made by John Stimpson, an incredible man who has made more than 30,000 boxes in his garage,” Emma said.

“We made contact with James McEvoy from MKL CABLE Solutions who was brilliant and installed all the boxes. Those boxes are now made by Iain Stirling who has become an instrumental part of the team. Both the making and installing is done for free by James and Iain, for which we are so grateful.”

Paul spends his time applying for grants, liaising with suppliers and ordering boxes and making calls, chasing developers of any new builds, and – much like Emma – plate spinning to keep things on track.

Like so much of our wildlife, swifts are in trouble. In 2021 they were added to the red list on the UK Conservation Status Report, but sadly their numbers are plummeting everywhere and they are threatened globally.

Work by the Wolverton group is so important, and the birds favour the old railway town because they almost exclusively nest in pre-1944 housing, yet only around 10% of homes in that bracket are suitable nesting spots – they favour cracks and crevices of buildings at least four metres high.

Modern houses and the building techniques employed leave no suitable access for them, and as we seal up their natural entrances with plastic soffits, they struggle and fail to breed.

As Emma’s knowledge and desire for protecting these birds increased, it wasn’t so long before she found herself taking in her first grounded swift, who was given the name Bruce.

“It was love at first sight,” she remembered, “I drove him to our nearest ‘rehabber’, Claire Nuttal, who is based near Aylesbury. She had boxes of grounded swifts and chicks. Being able to share images of Bruce with the group during lockdown, and then allow people to follow him to release really helped us during a very odd year.”

Incredibly, these petite little birds are believed to fly an average of 250,000 miles every year; when they aren’t nesting, they are in constant flight, sleeping, eating, drinking, mating and preening in the air.

“If the weather isn’t good for feeding they can fly miles for food – even to France!” Emma said, “If gone for a while their chicks can go into torpor, shutting their bodies down to survive. They are the fastest bird in level flight too, reaching speeds of 69mph.”

The name of the group is a dead give-away, and they do indeed look out for the town’s house martins too – how come?
“We are lucky enough to be blessed with a colony of martins here as well, and both birds have similarities; both rely on our houses to breed, both are insectivorous and migrate from Africa. They are often mistaken in the sky as both have long wings.”
They also share another trait – house martins are also on that red list of endangered species.

Wolverton isn’t the only place in Milton Keynes that these birds use to breed every year – there are colonies in Heelands, in Kents Hill, Stony Stratford, New Bradwell and Newport Pagnell.

“We now have swift groups in these towns, but would love more volunteers to run them. Willen is a popular site with feeding grounds over the lake, Bletchley, Kingsmead and the like, but numbers aren’t what they should and could be.”

Back in Wolverton, the heart of the martin colony is at The Top Club, the town’s old Working Men’s Club, but with the real possibility that the pending sale of the venue will see their homes torn down, Emma and her team are working hard to secure a grant to buy nests and fit them across the town to give the birds a chance.

How can people get their own boxes if they are keen to help?

“They can always ask us, and The Swift Conservation Trust has lots of useful advice, and boxes are available from Peak Boxes and the RSPB.
“Be sure not to buy ones that don’t comply with standard though, as there are some sold that can lead to eggs rolling out, and the young being stuck inside, as they are not tall enough to reach the entrance hole to fledge.”

Emma works closely with Paul to keep the project, dare we say, airborne. How much time does someone with a passion dedicate to this voluntary role?

“Too much, yet never enough,” she promised, “Some of the work, like guided walks and taking birds for first aid or to ‘rehabbers’, is seasonal. Then there is surveying for nest sites and any dealing with any building work that may block entrance holes.

“We fundraise too, and have stalls at events throughout the year where we give out information and inspire people, young and old, to love these birds.

“Paul spends a lot of his time consulting with house developers, asking them to fit swift boxes when they build new houses, which is the way to ensure a long life of the next site.”

They’ve also begun working with a local school, sharing knowledge and encouraging the next generation of supporters.
“We have such a passion for swifts and martins and we want others to appreciate what we have here in Wolverton – they may be gone soon if we don’t care.

“I didn’t grow up with them, and my interest only started when I moved here and saw them swooping overhead in summer.
“They are such crazy, amiable, sociable birds with incredible lifestyles that they deserve to be celebrated in a fun, joyous way,” Emma said, letting her love of the birds shine through.

“We really need to capture the imaginations of children and young people so they develop a passion for swifts and house martins to ensure they are still around in large numbers for their children and grandchildren to enjoy.”

We’re all busy, but not too busy to make a difference to these delightful little fliers. A little effort now, will bring the rewards – and you can play your part.

“Caring for an endangered species is not only going to benefit the birds, it’s good for our well-being too,” Emma promised, “By the simple action of putting up a swift box or not blocking a natural site on your home, or allowing house martins to use your house to nest instead of knocking their nests down, we can save these endangered birds.

“In return, we will be rewarded by their aerial displays and low level, speeding, screaming parties.”

As you read this, Wolverton’s visitors will be departing – heading back to Africa until next spring when, hopefully, their return here will see them greeted by more potential breeding spaces and even more people cheering the arrival of these fascinating, and very cute, little birds.

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‘Save Wolverton’s Swifts and Martins’