Name: Saving Swansea's Swifts
Start: 2026-02-10T19:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-10T21:00:00+00:00
Location: St Hilary's Church Hall, Killay

Come along to hear Josh Greatorex-Davies tell of an important project to encourage more of these very special summer visitors to Swansea.
About this Event

It’s no surprise that visitors flock to Swansea in the summer months - but there’s one flock of visitors that we’d like to see much more of. They eat up to 100,000 flying insects every day, fly at speeds up to 70mph and never touch the ground unless they are nesting!

Sadly, the common swift is now on the UK and Welsh Birds of Conservation Concern Red List due to a severe population decline of 78% between 1995 and 2018.

On Tuesday February 10th at St Hilary’s Church Community Hall, Killay, Swansea, naturalist and bird-watcher Josh Greatorex-Davies will tell us how a group in Swansea is aiming to encourage more of these incredible birds to come and nest here in greater numbers every summer.

Saving Swansea’s Swifts Group is a joint enterprise between Swansea Council and Gower Ornithological Society with volunteers carrying out surveys, fixing swift nesting boxes and talking to communities and businesses.

Josh is a keen amateur ornithologist with a passion for conservation. He is a committee member of the Gower Ornithological Society and leads swift surveys around Swansea as a volunteer for the Saving Swansea’s Swift project.

Swifts are in decline everywhere and although they only spend three to four months with us to build nests and raise their young - May to July is when they may be seen and heard - they are crucial for maintaining an ecological balance, supporting biodiversity.

They are remarkable birds, able to sleep, mate and feed in flight and typically nest under the eaves of buildings or in cliff cavities.

Josh will be telling all about swifts, the progress the project is making - and advising how we can all play a part in encouraging more swifts to Swansea and how to report sightings of these special visitors.

The hall will be open from 7.15pm so that hot tea or coffee, cold drinks and biscuits can be served before the talk starts at 7.30pm.

All welcome but strictly only assistance dogs permitted in the hall. The hall is fully accessible with accessible toilets and parking nearby. We ask for minimum donations on the evening of at least £1 per adult towards Wildlife Trust of South West Wales Swansea local group funds.

Images: Swift close-up thanks to Marc Pascual, Pixabay. Flying swift image thanks to Kev from Pixabay. Other images thanks to Saving Swansea's Swifts project.