Goathland Swifts
Swifts are one of the UK’s fastest birds, their exciting calls mean that summer is finally here!
The Goathland Nature Group launched Project Swift in 2026. The aim of this project is to actively support an increase in the swift population around our village.
About Swifts
Swifts are one of the UK’s fastest birds, their exciting calls mean that summer is finally here.
Swifts are amazing, beautiful birds. Supreme aerialists, they spend almost all their life in the air.
A lot of that is at low level, feeding on airborne insects, but they also migrate at very high altitudes (up to 5,700 metres across the Himalayas). Often living in urban areas, they can frequently be seen in stunning aerobatic flight whilst feeding. They add immense excitement and life to any area.
They feed, drink, mate and sleep on the wing, and only land to breed.
A young swift will spend its first two or three years in constant flight before it nests. Nesting is from May to August in buildings where they will find small holes in the eaves, gables or upper walls. Swifts like to leave their nests by dropping into the air from the entrance, so any nest site needs to be at sufficient height with a clear flyway in front.
Why Swifts need our help
Swifts are on the UK Red List of birds of highest conservation concern, with numbers declining dramatically in recent decades. A major cause of this is a significant reduction in nest sites.
Swifts have shared our buildings for over 2000 years. However, new building techniques and materials as well as insulation of older buildings is preventing them from nesting. As buildings are replaced, insulated or repaired, swifts find themselves excluded, and they are now declining fast.
How to help Swifts
Providing swift nest boxes is a direct and effective way to help swifts.
Homeowners can install simple nest boxes that can help preserve swift populations, enhance local biodiversity, and improve the local atmosphere. Just like flowers and trees, swifts bring life to any site.
Project Swift
The Goathland Nature Group launched Project Swift in 2026. The aim of this project is to actively support an increase in the swift population around our village.
Swifts migrate, feed and nest together so prefer to live in colonies. We have made over 30 swift nesting boxes and with the support of our local community have placed these boxes in optimum locations around Goathland.
The Goathland Nature Group would like to thank the Goathland Village Show for financially supporting our project during 2026.
Goathland Nature Group - Swift box construction session
Swift box callers under construction
Swift caller
We aim to monitor these nesting boxes and their use in the years ahead. We don’t expect any nesting to occur for at least two years, but after that would like to see an increase in swifts flying around our village.
If you would like to be involved in this project, or feel your property may be a good site for swifts to nest, please do contact us.
By offering these nest boxes within our community we hope to help reverse the dramatic decline in swift numbers in Yorkshire.
Watch this space for results!
Swift Mapper
As part of our Project Swift we have plotted our swift boxes and sightings on Swift Mapper.
Swift Mapper is a web‑based conservation mapping tool and mobile app created to monitor and safeguard Swift nesting sites across the UK. Developed by the RSPB with conservation partners, it enables anyone to log swift nest boxes, swift nests and screaming parties. This helps build a national picture of where Swifts visit and breed. The data supports conservation planning and helps developers and local authorities identify and protect these vulnerable nesting spots.
Swift Resources
If you would like to read more about Swifts or wish to make your own swift nest box, check out the RSPB website here.