A Swift Introduction
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The spectacular aerial acrobatics and elfin screams of the swift are a familiar sound of summer. Long scythe-like wings, a sooty brown colour and a short forked tail distinguish the swift from its similar looking counterparts, the swallow and the martins. The behaviour of the swift is also unique, spending the majority of their life in the air, feeding, drinking and even mating on the wing. They are rarely seen perching on wires or fences, unlike swallows and house martins.
For more information about swift behaviour, click below:
 Migration Nesting
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What can YOU do to
help the swifts of Dorset?
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Are you an architect, planner, developer or builder looking to incorporate swift features into a new build or refurbishment? Or, perhaps you are a homeowner who wants to encourage swifts to nest around your home?
Click on the relevant advice sheets below for further information on how to provide for swifts:
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Swift Settlements in Dorset
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This map shows swift records from across Dorset from the RSPB’s Swift Inventory 2009. Our towns show the healthiest populations of swifts with Bridport, Dorchester, Weymouth, Sherborne, Blandford, Poole and Bournemouth with the greatest concentrations.
Despite this, numbers of records across the county as a whole are low. This may be an indication of under-recording, or more worryingly a decreasing swift population.
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