'Citizen scientists' wanted to help conserve swift numbers in the Yorkshire Dales

People in the Dales are being asked to help the conservation of swifts by recording nest sites or where they see a ‘screaming party’ this summer.

Numbers of these migratory birds, which return to the same UK nesting site year after year are declining and the project, run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) with Sedbergh Swift Community Group is hoping to help conserve their numbers.

It is asking people in the Dales to help by recording nest sites or where they hear a ‘screaming party’. These are groups of swifts which fly fast, low and noisily in a territorial display which indicates they are likely to be nesting close by.

Tanya Hoare, a member of the Sedbergh Swift Community Group, said: “Knowing where swifts nest will mean we can better protect these endangered birds. Unless we act now, we are in danger of losing them forever.”

YDNPA Member Champion for the Natural Environment, Ian McPherson, said: “Screaming parties of swifts are the sound of summer in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. As more birds return over the next few weeks, the parties will get bigger and louder.

“Please do take a minute or two to submit a record if you see swifts flying near you. The more we know about where swifts are spending their time in the Dales, and particularly where they are nesting, the more we can do to protect this truly wonderful species.

Mr McPherson, who lives in Sedbergh, has also been involved in the Sedbergh Swift Group since its inception.

“Being a birder myself I have had a great interest in swifts for many years,” he said.

Swift spotters can go online to the YDNPA site, yorkshiredales.org.uk, to register a nest or screaming party. There is also more information on the project in the blog section of the site.