‘Swifts spark joy!’ Why these beautiful birds need our help – and 10 ways to give it (www.theguardian.com)

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Swifts are wheeling, screaming endurance athletes. They don’t touch the earth for nine months of the year and fly about 14,000 miles annually – travelling from sub-Saharan Africa to nest in the UK, then back again. In Britain, they’re the sign that summer is coming or taking its leave. In between, they provide a heart-soaring display of beauty. No wonder they’re beloved.

“Swifts spark joy,” says Hannah Bourne-Taylor, a passionate swift advocate and author of Nature Needs You: The Fight to Save Our Swifts.

“I used to lie on the kitchen table with my head outside the window watching them,” says Edward Mayer, founder of Swift Conservation. “They’re absolutely gorgeous … Like an aerial shark, in perpetual motion.”

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this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2026

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