Swifts
Swifts nesting in church towers used to be a regular sight in England. The decline in numbers of these splendid birds has been precipitous, much of it due to the loss of nesting sites. Each year swifts visit Britain for a few short months, arriving in May and departing by the end of July or August to their winter quarters in southern Africa. Apart from when they nest they spend all their lives in the air, sleeping on the wing.
In 2018 the Ditchling Society, with the help of the Monday Group, installed five nest boxes in the louvres on the east face of St Margaret’s church tower. Swifts are semi-colonial and like to nest with others. Each year, we set up a ‘swift call’ system to broadcast the calls of the birds and attract them to nest with us.
We are grateful that David Cragg and his fellow bell ringers have been so supportive of the project. This is a multi-year activity, so keep your ears open in early summer in the centre of Ditchling. If you hear the typical screeching sound of swifts then it is probably the call system installed in the tower – but look up, it may be the birds themselves paying us a visit!
