Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival highlights decline of swifts
A display highlighting the dramatic decline of swifts - the "symbol of summer skies" - will feature at this year's Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) which puts on the annual festival, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have created a show garden focused on the species.The birds, which usually arrive in the UK from early May, spend almost all their lives in flight – eating, drinking, mating and sleeping on the wing.They depend on healthy insect populations and suitable nesting sites for their breeding season in the UK, conservationists say.
How to identify a swift:Dark, sooty brown but can look black against the skyPale patch on the throat, but this is often difficult to see in flightLong, pointed wings held in a boomerang shapeShort, forked tail which can be folded to a pointBullet-shaped headA call that sounds like a high-pitched scream.
The species has seen numbers plummet by 68% between 1995 and 2023, data indicates, and they are "red-listed" over concerns about their survival.Diverse, insect-friendly planting would support the birds and other wildlife, and nesting sites, such as "swift bricks" can be introduced into buildings to give them somewhere to breed.Plants in the swift garden include field maples, common limes, teasel, catmint and devil's bit scabious, which all support and attract insects.
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