Swifts are migratory birds that spend a lot of time in Africa. They breed in the UK. These birds sleep on the wing and are a common sight in UK skies in early summer. These stay for only a few months. For several weeks these birds can be seen screaming in the skies above our heads. Quite suddenly we realise they are not there any more. The skies are quiet. They usually arrive here in late April and early May. The arrival of the first swift is always significant for me.
The only time they land is to breed. Numbers have fallen as their nest sites are disappearing. The RSPB is trying to encourage us to erect swift nestboxes to reverse this. I hope it succeeds.
See
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swift/
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