This is a photo of swifts swooping around a medieval tower in Assisi, I couldn't believe how many there were. The noise filled the air and they formed clouds of dark, shifting shapes against a beautiful blue sky. They haven't arrived in the UK yet, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
There is a lot of concern about the rapid decline of the Common Swift in the UK, and right across europe. As we smooth out, replace, restore and otherwise blank out our old buildings we take away the holes and crevasses that swifts need. SE England has lost 1/2 of its breeding birds. I'll have an article in The Tablet soon asking religious buildings across Europe to put swift nest boxes on their tall towers. This is such a simple way to care for the natural world.
You can get all the info you need from Swift Conservation
I'll post the article when it is published, but if you know of any religious buildings that already have swifts nesting in them or are planning on putting up boxes do let me know.
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