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October 2023 When did you last see a swift? Perhaps it was some years ago, as there has been a decline of 60% in the breeding population of swifts since 1995 and it is estimated that only 48,000 pairs remain in the UK. In Leicestershire and Rutland a survey in 2018 received 482 reports. Their favourite temporary homes were largely traditional sites under eaves of Victorian buildings, but they also chose to nest in bricks and nest boxes.
The loss of natural cavity-nesting sites is a factor in the decline and, as householders seek out and block the sources of draughts and heat loss, this looks set to continue. Some developers have recognised the opportunity they have to create a habitat for swifts and are installing specially designed hollow bricks which can be used as a safe haven for nesting. They are known as swift bricks.
But couldn’t swifts do what most other birds do – build a nest in a tree? Swifts aren’t like other birds that spend time sitting on branches or foraging on the ground. Just like fish live in water, swifts live in the sky, and evolution has reflected this in the design of their feet, which are most unsuitable for a life on terra firma or in trees.
A remarkable bird
A swift will spend it’s life in the air. When it migrates it flies the 4000 miles to South Africa without landing, feeding on insects whilst airborne. And when it arrives in the UK it lands only to mate and lay eggs. It spends more time flying than any other bird on earth. Adults spend 9 months of every year in the sky, while a fledgling’s maiden flight keeps them on the wing for up to 3 years. They can live up to 20 years and when they find a suitable nesting site they will return to it every year.
Some helpful initiatives
In April 2023, Natural England launched a Species Recovery Programme, offering grants to projects aiming to halt and reverse declines in populations of our most threatened species. Leicestershire County Council will be getting £77,000 to assess 364 sites for the installation of durable Swift boxes throughout Leicestershire. The Council’s Swift Action for Swifts project will work in tandem with the team which installs energy efficiency improvements, as these may threaten existing nesting sites. They will aim to identify suitable properties and offer residents swift boxes to provide new and improved nesting sites.
Some builders, such as Barratt Developments, are installing their award winning swift brick in a proportion of their new homes, mainly targeting places where swift numbers and nesting sites have been declining most. Having hit its goal of installing 4,000 swift bricks by 2022, the company has a new uprated target of 7,000 to be installed by 2025.
Following advice received from ecologists, Taylor Wimpey is working to incorporate bird boxes and swift bricks into 80% of all new homes they build. "We are working nationally to implement wildlife enhancements and habitat improvements across our developments," said a spokesperson.
Campaign for legislative action
But there is no legislative requirement, and campaigners would like to see this changed, A leading role is being taken by Hannah Bourne-Taylor, a nature author and conservationist with a love of birds.
Hannah launched The Feather Speech – a national conservation campaign asking the government to create a national policy on swift bricks in new builds. At its core was a government petition that gathered 109,895 signatures asking for a national policy on swift bricks in new housing. The petition resulted in a parliamentary debate that had unanimous cross-party support from MPs, and resulted in Zac Goldsmith tabling an amendment to The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, that gained strong, cross-party support in the House of Lords.
“While disappointingly Michael Gove’s Department of Levelling Up and Housing Communities did not support the amendment, the result of the debate is a meeting between me, Zac Goldsmith and Michael Gove - a meeting that could change the fate of swifts in Britain for the better,” explained Hannah. “At the moment, it is unclear why the government is reluctant to agree to a national policy on swift bricks but the necessity is clear, as only 9 of the 455 local planning authorities in England have adopted planning conditions around swift bricks. They need to be installed on a national scale, as nowhere near enough are being installed. There needs to be an industry wide policy to reflect the necessity.”
Locally, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council takes advice from the County’s Ecology Team and can request the inclusion of swift bricks or swift nest boxes in new developments. “This is more likely to be around Hinckley as Hinckley is a swift action area, the only one in the Borough we believe,” a spokesperson explained.
Swifts leave no mess
If you are fed up with your patio being covered with pigeon droppings, or pigeons eating your soft fruit and lettuce, you may wonder why householders might want to share their homes with swifts. The answer is that swifts are the good guys, they do not eat vegetation and are clean.
“They particularly enjoy mosquitoes and eat mountainous volumes of them,” Lord Goldsmith told the House of Lords. “I am told that they also do not leave droppings underneath their nest boxes.” Apparently they tidy up and eat them, probably to recycle the mineral content. “They are very tidy, conscientious and thoughtful creatures,” he added.
How you can help swifts
If you want to support the campaign you are asked to write and tell Michael Gove, either by email to michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk or writing to him at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
Google feather speech to read more about Hannah’s campaign.
The ecological consequences of Covid 19 on the urban fringe
August 2021 When Groby Spotlight readers were asked if anything had been good in 2020, the rediscovery of the village and the surrounding countryside was a common theme in the responses. “I have loved walking through Martinshaw Woods, the Burroughs and to Groby Pool and Bradgate Park this year and seeing all the wildflowers and birds,” said one. Rediscovering Martinshaw woods, and all the different pathways, observing the seasons through a field of wheat, said another.
Walking, particularly to Groby Pool and beyond, the arrival of Spring, the bluebells, and the nesting swans were enjoyed by many. “Feeling incredibly lucky to live here,” was one response, “including seeing things every day that made me go WOW - new areas of gorgeous countryside that I wasn't aware of, and even small things such as colonies of toadstools and frosted spider webs.”
The lockdown resulted in an 82% reduction in public transport in the first month, and overall traffic dropped by up to 81%. The reduction in activity quickly resulted in air quality improvements and carbon dioxide emissions recorded at the BT tower in central London dropped by 60%.
More people were outside and reporting animal sitings. Compared to 2019, during lockdown users of the website iRecord saw 66% more bees, wasps, ants and sawflies. They saw 33% more squirrels and other rodents, 13% more deer and hooved mammals. People reported 143% more bats, 11% more dragonflies, 97% more butterflies and moths and 18% more hedgehogs, moles and shrews.
The British Trust for Ornithology had twenty times as many people sign up for their Garden BirdWatch scheme as the previous five years, with new participants jumping to nearly 9,000.
The decline in biodiversity
This increased in awareness of the natural world came at a time when the UK was described as one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe. Extensive agricultural lands and road networks, and other factors, have reduced our wildlife. An analysis looking into how much biodiversity is left in different countries has shown that the UK has some of the lowest amounts of biodiversity remaining.
“Before the Industrial Revolution, forests covered much more of the UK ,” said Josh Davis at the Natural History Museum. “Large areas of wilderness were home to animals and plants which are now a rare sight, or gone completely. Red squirrels, beavers, wolves and bears were once common in the British Isles.” According to the RSPB, more than 40 million birds have disappeared from the UK's skies since 1970.
“The Industrial Revolution changed the landscape forever,” said Dr Andy Purvis at the Museum. “We have led the world in degrading the natural environment. The UK only has half of its natural biodiversity left. When compared to the European Union, only Ireland and Malta come out worse, and the UK is in the bottom 10% of all countries globally.
While countries such as Canada and Finland have 89.3 and 88.6% of their biodiversity left intact, the UK only has 50.3% remaining. Although the 50% we have left did help people get through the lockdown, was there a downside?
Conservation work stalled
Last year the Guardian reported that conservationists warned of “desperate times” with an explosion in invasive non-native species during prolific spring growth, and the deterioration of rare and historic wildlife meadows that could take years to restore. The potential loss of species from some areas, was another threat due to stalled projects, said the Wildlife Trusts.
Invasive bracken control on reserves stopped and annual “balsam bashing” events were halted. In Wales five years of intensive work to clear brambles and scrub from two historic wildflower meadows was at risk. A spokesperson said: “If no management is continued then very quickly, within 12 months, we will see scrub and brambles taking over once again and a decline of wildlife.”
Managed grazing by livestock can benefit heathland, creating a mosaic of differing habitats, but precious heathland in Surrey reserves couldn’t be grazed. Without that complexity various creatures will be put at risk, including birds such as the nightjar and woodlark, and reptiles including smooth snakes and sand lizards.
These are a few examples of how lockdown obstructed conservation work. But in addition, greater public use created its own problems. One farmer said there had been a tenfold increase in walkers, while another had seen a 1.5m path widen to 11m across. In some cases crops were being damaged by walkers avoiding mud. Buckinghamshire farmer Daniel Hares said the busiest footpath on his farm widened dramatically, and he had lost the wheat equivalent of 9,000 loaves of bread worth about £1,000.
Groby ecologically diverse
Our parish is considered by some to be the most ecologically diverse in Leicester and Rutland, and perhaps the Midlands. Groby Pool and Sheet Hedges Wood, just over the parish boundary, are both Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We have more woods and spinneys than most and we have Groby Pool, a remarkable habitat where otters have been seen recently. The quarries are considered extraordinary habitats, and the first Peregrine falcons to nest in the County nested there. We have meadows, the fishing lakes and extraordinary flowers - Naturespot.org.uk lists 596 different species seen in the parish.
Such assets are particularly vulnerable when they are located on the urban fringe and can be easily damaged or even eliminated by visitors on foot or cycle.
• Dry spells bring the risk of fire damage, and after a number of incidents the Woodland Trust has appealed for visitors not to light fires.
• At Groby Pool efforts have been made by the Borough Council to reduce the litter problem, but bins have been vandalised.
• In local woods the use of cycles has caused some concern and Leicestershire County Council has had reports of mountain bikes using Sheet Hedges Wood. “Our rangers undertake regular patrols there and have added extra signage in recent months to remind people that the woods are not suitable for visitors on cycles,” said a spokesperson.
All this reflects the fact that the challenges facing conservationists seeking to stop further biodiversity losses are not new, but the increased activity resulting from lockdown has exacerbated the problems.
Interested in Groby’s plants?
After years of research Groby botanist Edith Hesselgreaves published her Flora of Groby Parish, Martinshaw Wood and Sheet Hedges in 1973. It is probably the definitive guide and can be read online thanks to the work of Stephen Woodward, who has continued the discussion with an article in the Autumn 2019 edition of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. Googling flora fauna groby will return links to them both.
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