Swift lovers rejoice as citizen-science project reaches milestone of over 100,000 records

Great effort for swifts

Swift lovers rejoice as citizen-science project reaches milestone of over 100,000 records - RSPB

swifts flying in a blue sky near houses — Swift Apus apus, group of birds flying over rooftops where they are actively encouraged to nest in houses, Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire, July Credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

The Swift Mapper app - a citizen science tool designed to help track where Swifts are nesting and contribute to conservation efforts - has hit a milestone 100,000 records from members of the public.

The loss of suitable nest sites for Swifts has played a role in their decline of 66% between 1995 and 2022 in the UK. But records submitted to the Swift Mapper app can be used to help inform the protection and installation of further Swift nest boxes and ‘Swift bricks’ on buildings across the UK, giving hope for the much-loved bird.

Swifts travel more than 7,000 miles from Africa to the UK each summer, eating, sleeping, bathing and mating on the wing

Swift lovers across the UK are celebrating as the Swift Mapper - a citizen science tool designed to help track where Swifts are nesting and contribute to conservation efforts - has hit a milestone 100,000 records since it was first introduced.

Launched fully in 2020 in response to the decline in the UK’s Swift population, the Swift Mapper was developed by Natural Apptitude with input from the RSPB and other Swift conservation groups. The app allows members of the public to identify, record and view Swift colony locations and nest sites, sharing their findings with conservationists at the RSPB as well as local Swift action groups.