One sure sign of sunnier days is the return of familiar favourites such as House Martins and Swifts to our spring skies. These aerial acrobats spend winter far from the UK, so far in fact that they’ve had to navigate the Sahara Desert on their way back to reach us.  

It’s quite extraordinary to think that the Swifts and House Martins that you might see flying overhead will likely have spent some of the winter months in skies above tropical rainforests in Africa, home to animals like Chimpanzees and pangolins! Imagine the changes in landscape and wildlife they must experience over the course of just a few months.   

Despite the distance, these birds return year on year to nest and raise their chicks and what a special feeling it is to see them back in the skies, or if you’re really lucky, returning to a nest close to your home.  

World Migratory Bird Day on 10 May gives us an opportunity to celebrate the incredible journeys that migratory birds undertake, recognise the challenges they face and share stories of some of the inspirational conservation work that is going into protecting them.  

Two birds that we are welcoming back to the UK right now are Swifts and House Martins. Both these birds have a particular association with humans as they mostly choose to nest on or near our homes. However, both have suffered worrying declines in recent years and are on the Red List of highest conservation concern in the UK.

Between 1995 and 2022, Swifts have declined by 66% in the UK, while House Martins have dropped by 44%. But what is behind these declines? 

When it comes to Swifts, we think that a loss of nesting sites is likely to be at least partially responsible. Swifts nest high up in the crevices and cracks of buildings. This means that when older buildings are demolished or renovated, Swift nesting sites can be lost. Furthermore, new buildings don’t tend to have the little nooks and crannies that they need for nesting. There could be other factors at play here too, including a possible lack of insects for the birds to feed on.  

We’re earlier on in our understanding of why House Martins are in trouble. In fact, we still don’t know exactly where in Africa they spend the winter. And it is possible that, like Swifts, problems with nesting sites in the UK could be having an impact.

House Martins build their nests out of mud, constructing them under the eaves of buildings where they are protected from the elements. A lack of mud or difficulties in fixing mud to modern plastic soffits or people deliberately removing House Martin nests could all be making nesting more challenging. A lack of insect food could also be a contributing factor. What is certain is that more research is needed to understand why House Martin numbers have declined in the UK.  

The theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is “creating bird-friendly cities and communities” and it’s clear that many people are coming together to help birds. Here’s how communities are coming together for Swifts. 

Empowering people and communities to take part in conservation work to help threatened species is at the heart of the RSPB’s Species Volunteer Network.  

If you’ve been inspired by these stories, there are lots of ways to get involved and help Swifts and other wildlife, including: 

1. Get involved with an RSPB Local Group.
2. Use our Swift Starter Pack to find out how your local groups can support Swifts.
3. Join a Swifts Local Network group. These groups are dedicated to Swift conservation up and down the country and often work hand in hand with other groups like RSPB Local Groups. There are lots of other groups supporting Swift and House Martin conservation across the country, including House Martin Conservation UK & Ireland, Swift Conservation and Action for Swifts.
4. Look for a volunteering opportunity or email the Species Volunteer Network team if you’re interested in volunteering with the Swift work taking place in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Northern Ireland mentioned in this article. 
5. Record your sightings of nesting Swifts using the Swift Mapper .
6. Put up a Swift nest box or House Martin cup .
7. Garden with wildlife in mind – by creating spaces that are rich in plants and insects we can support birds like Swifts and House Martins when they return to us. 
8. Shop to support our work. By buying our forest-friendly Gola Chocolate and Bird and Wild Coffee you’re helping to protect vitals habitat that benefit migratory birds, in West Africa and elsewhere in the world. 

Everyone can play their part in helping Swifts have safe places to nest – from individuals and communities to businesses and local authorities.  

While we’re still understanding how best to help House Martins, it is safe to say that continuing to protect existing nesting sites and boosting insect numbers (on which the birds feed) are likely to give the birds a helping hand. Your support of the RSPB is so important in helping us to find out more and devise how best to help this special summer visitor.  

Local community groups and initiatives like the ones mentioned here are often driven by volunteer action and they can have even greater impact when they’re backed by funding such as the generous support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery given to the Manchester Swift volunteers. In addition to this, a number of RSPB Local Groups have been supported by the Aviva Wild Isles Community Fund which provided match funding to community efforts. Local Groups that benefited from this fund included: Grimsby, North Cumbria, Solihull, Antrim and Worcester and Malvern.