Swift monitors get-together

We held our final review session of the 2018 Cardiff Swift Survey last night in Café Hafren. Over 500 hours of Swift Surveying has been undertaken in the city - a fantastic effort by all involved.  In all, 21 of the 50 Swift monitors have attended our review sessions and provided a lot of very useful feedback. We'll certainly take note of the comments when designing/refining future surveys.

As a result of recent GDPR legislation, we'll have to re-advertise the role of Swift Surveyor for next spring. Keep your eyes peeled and please sign up for next year.

We were sad to say farewell to Carolyn from RSPB, who is off to pastures new, working for the Cairngorms Capercaillie Recovery Project. Best wishes, Carolyn and thanks for all the hard work you have put in to the project.

Cardiff Swift Survey

We've just received the 2018 survey maps from the RSPB. Makes interesting viewing:

 Here's a note from Carolyn Robertson of the RSPB:

 

These maps are the result of over 500 hours of time donated by Cardiffians walking the streets of our city this summer looking for and recording where our swifts are feeding and nesting.

 

 

People love where they live and the wildlife that lives there too – so much so that they’ll volunteer over 500 hours to help protect our city’s swifts

• Volunteers have said some lovely things about their role as Cardiff Swift Surveyors; “I’m proud to have been a swift monitor helping to contribute to the future welfare of these magnificent fliers.” “Brought back great memories of childhood, listening to the screaming and low swooping of swift when out playing in the street during the 1970's”
• Swift numbers have fallen dramatically. If the trend continues we stand to lose swifts as a breeding bird in the UK within the next 20 years. Now we know where they’re breeding in Cardiff we can take a much more informed approach to protecting them.
• Swifts migrate each year from Africa, spending their summer in our city breeding and raising their young. Once the young fledge and leave Cardiff behind they won’t land again for up to 4 years (when they’re ready to breed); a world record for sustained flight in nature.