If you hear a high-pitched scream from overhead this summer, look up and you might glimpse a dark scythe-shaped bird with long wings, cutting through the air in large screaming flocks. The swift. A bird that just a few weeks ago was soaring across the Sahara desert, charging across the Congo and motoring across the Mediterranean as it makes it return to our island home to breed.

Towards the end of April, swifts start to arrive back on our shores after flying all the way from Africa, returning to the very same site they nested last year. The whole time they have been away, the birds will have been continuously flying! They do everything whilst on the wing, including eating, sleeping and even mating. Their latin name ‘apus apus’ translates as ‘without foot’ as they only ever land to nest and start a family. This means that if you are lucky enough to have swifts nesting in in your building, they have chosen that place as potentially the only spot they will ever land. How special!

This week is Swift Awareness Week (Saturday 29 June – Sunday 7 July), a nationwide campaign to highlight the swift and aid it’s conservation. Unfortunately, this incredible bird is now on the red list with a decline of 60% since 1995 according to the British Trust of Ornithology. This is likely due to the worrying decline in the insects they feed on and loss of nesting sites. A swift feeds on flying insects and airborne spiders, sometimes referred to as ‘aerial plankton’ and a single swift can eat up to 20,000 of these invertebrates every day! A study by Bug Life showed that in England, insect numbers have fallen by 83%. Swifts usually nest high up under the eaves or in in the gaps in old buildings. These sites are missing in new builds, and when old buildings are renovated, these gaps are often filled in. Imagine flying thousands of miles from Africa only to find that your old nesting site had been filled in!

Here’s how you can help.

Firstly you can record any sightings of swifts in your area on SwiftMapper.org.uk , especially if they are flying around the tops of buildings which indicates they are likely nesting nearby.

Secondly you could install a swift box to the side of your building. These aren’t too expensive to buy or you could have a go at building your own. Just imagine the joy of seeing those swifts come back year on year!

And finally, you can do your part to help stop the loss of invertebrate and insect life that supports swifts, swallows and so many other birds and wildlife. Avoid using pesticides in your garden, plant pollinator-friendly plants and wildflowers, install a pond or make a log pile.

This summer, turn your ears and eyes to the sky and enjoy the ultimate bird, the wonderful and miraculous swift. The summer skies wouldn’t be the same without them.