Swifts are one of our most beloved birds. Their presence in Bridport is a symbol of summertime, and spirits lift when screaming parties arrive in the skies above the streets. We can hear them from our homes or places of work, we pause to watch them rush down South Street or soar above the River Brit.
From May to August swifts become our neighbours, nesting in buildings and feeding in landscapes nearby. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Bridport has a good number of swifts compared to similar towns. This is something we should celebrate and protect. It is also something we can’t take for granted because the species faces many risks, including lack of invertebrate food and nest-sites in buildings. The UK swift population has declined 60% since 1995, and in 2021 they were added to the Red List for endangered birds. In contrast, the swift population in mainland Europe has stayed largely stable, signalling that the UK needs to take urgent action to save this very special species.
H O W C A N W E H E L P ?
Bridport Swift Town is a community response to the problems swifts face. The project is a collaboration between local residents, Common Ground, the Bridport Bird Club, Dorset National Landscape, Bridport Town Council, RSPB, West Dorset Wilding, Little Toller Books and the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Collectively, we believe that celebrating Bridport swifts is key to protecting them - by drawing attention to swifts, by expressing how they make us feel, we can spread awareness and gather important data about nesting sites and feeding habits around town. We are inviting all swift lovers, swift enthusiasts and swift ambassadors to join us in turning Bridport into a Swift Town - a place that recognises and celebrates the value and hope these wonderful birds bring with them, screaming through the summer.
O U R S W I F T S U M M E R
To kick things off this summer, we will be hosting a series of free walks and creative workshops run by local ornithologists, educators and conservationists, musicians, artists, storytellers and poets. The aim is to deepen understanding of swifts and inspire the community to share their love and fascination for swifts through stories, songs, poems and art - creative response that will be performed and exhibited at a future Swift Welcome Party in May 2025. By turning the spotlight on swifts, these workshops will also encourage a new community of citizen scientists to start gathering new and important data about town nesting sites and behaviour.
This combination of community creativity and data collection will be the beginnings of an ongoing commitment to swifts in Bridport. It will help us develop a Bridport Swift Map, an annual Swift Welcome Party, and a Manifesto for Swifts that establishes a longer-term goal for the project and a ‘voice’ for Bridport swifts. This would aim to introduce more nest boxes, campaign to ensure local building developments always include swift bricks, and support a wider landscape recovery plan that enhances green spaces in the town and feeding habitats in the nearby countryside.
S W I F T S U P P O R T
Swifts are a quintessential part of the Bridport summer. Their presence adds to the local distinctiveness of the town. There is something very special about the built and natural environment of Bridport - it is just right for swifts, which is why they have returned here for hundreds of years. Your support from the project will enable lots of different swift-related celebrations and activities this year. It will cover the costs of free summer workshops, the creation of new swift stories, maps, flags, poems, music and artworks. It will support the analysis of nesting data and the making of swift boxes and swift bricks. It will help us create a Swift Map and a Swift Manifesto for Bridport. It will help us come together to celebrate and become better neighbours to swifts, and help us declare that Bridport is a Swift Town!