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Common swift (Apus apus) screaming party silhouetted against the sky as they fly in formation over cottage roofs at dusk

Sheffield Swift City Map off to a flying start!

A new interactive map which allows everyone to help monitor and track the fascinating behaviour of swifts is now live.

Swifts are facing a grave threat. Red listed as a bird of conservation concern in 2021, their numbers have been declining due to habitat loss, modern construction practices and scarcity/loss of nesting sites. Swifts migrate to the UK from Africa in early May for around three months of the year to breed before returning again. They spend almost all of their lives on the wing, but when they need nesting sites in our houses and buildings, they are finding it increasingly difficult to find safe havens to breed and raise their young. Action is needed to protect these incredible birds and ensure their survival.

The Sheffield Swift Map is a tool anyone can use for local swift conservation. It displays the distribution of records of screaming parties and close roof passes associated with swift breeding activity, swift boxes and bricks installed through local conservation activity, confirmed natural swift nest sites and the areas of Sheffield covered by local swift groups.

It has been developed by Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust working with partners with an interest in, and who hold data about swifts, these are Sheffield Swift Network, RSPB Swift Mapper Project, Sheffield Council Biological Records Centre and Sheffield Bird Study Group.

Dr Nicky Rivers, Advocacy and Development Manager at Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust explains:

“Our hope is that this resource and all the information it presents will inspire people to get involved with their local swift group or even start their own! Individuals, local schools and businesses can all use the map to identify good areas to install boxes or bricks for swifts and submit their own records of boxes/bricks, nests and sightings.

Longer term, we plan to use the map and data to determine and illustrate what impact local swift conservation work is having in helping to reverse the species’ decline in Sheffield.”

Chet Cunago from Sheffield Swift Netwo