Environmentalist Kerry Leonard writes the next in his series of exclusive wildlife reports for Breathing Places.

Swifts

The screaming of Swifts is a real sign that summer has returned. Swifts are built for fast flight, their cylindrical bodies and scythe shaped wings allowing them to fly at very nigh speeds. Swifts are so well designed for flight that they only ever land at their nests, even sleeping on the wing for much of the year!

Swifts are common throughout Northern Ireland, breeding mainly in the eaves of older buildings and have suffered in recent years because of the redevelopment of former nesting buildings. They are one of our later migrants to arrive, reaching our shores in early May. By early August most have gone so in actual fact they only spend a quarter of the life in Northern Ireland, the rest is spent on migration or in their African wintering quarters. Swifts feed on aerial insects and would not be able to survive our winter.

Swifts are relatively long lived with the current record being 16 years. Their yearly migration may cover as much as 14000 miles, although their routes and primary wintering areas are still poorly understood. However as the species spends its life on the wing an individual will fly many thousands more miles than this each year.

The Swift has been Amber listed as the UK population has declined 25-50% in the last 15 years.

Listen to Kerry Leonard talk about moths and butterflies when he visited Creggan Country Park.