Birds

Saving Our Swifts - helping swifts survive the 21st century
Edward Mayer spoke to the Friends of Burgess Park meeting on Tuesday 6 March 2012

Swifts come to Burgess Park every summer (May to July and they can be seen near the lake at dusk now, August 2012) and delight us with their aerial acrobatic displays, but their hold is fragile; if they can’t find nesting sites, they won’t return.

Swifts used to nest in forests but with forests in decline the birds now use tall buildings as their homes. They build in the eaves and gables of old houses. New architectural designs are often not swift friendly - eaves are closed off, buildings are made of steel and glass and home improvements may disturb swift nesting sites so Edward Mayer encourages people to install swift boxes.

Edward Mayer is actively involved in raising the profile of these beautiful and useful birds. He works with architects and town planners to advise them on how to protect and create habitats for swifts.

“Swift Conservation” has been involved in many projects in London from private homes to Canary Wharf. They are also involved in creating nest spaces for other birds such as Black Redstart, and Wagtails and also for bats.

Following Edward's talk Friends of Burgess Park will suggest that swift nesting boxes are included in the Aylesbury re-development, as our response to the Council’s Open Spaces Strategy consultation.

Swift Conservation  http://www.swift-conservation.org/ Keeping the Skies Alive!

Burgess Park bird count 

A snapshot of the birds seen on the 29th May 2009 in Burgess Park

kindly provided by Dave Clark

The numbers at the top of the table correspond to the general areas on the map below where the birds were seen.