Up, up and away
‘But if the predictions of a recent report prove correct, in just 20 years time our city skylines will no longer echo to the sound of swifts. According to an RSPB survey, since the 1990s, the UK swift population has declined by 40%. With just 36,000 remaining pairs, the prospect of the species disappearing from Britain within the next two or three decades is a very real one.’
‘The recent trend towards renovating our homes - repairing holes and cracks, or blocking up eaves altogether - means there simply aren't as many places for swifts to nest as there used to be.’
Up, up, and away
Swifts, the traditional harbingers of summer, may be in danger of vanishing from British skies. Stephen Moss reports on the campaign to save a species - and explains what you can to do help
Stephen Moss - Guardian 16/04/2009