Name: Wotton's Swifts
Start: 2026-06-16T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Under The Edge Arts

No other bird spends more of its life in the air. No other flies faster in level flight. No other sleeps on the wing.
Join us to discover the extraordinary life of the swift - its closest and surprising relative, its remarkable top speed, why it almost never perches, and where it nests here in town.
Migrating, sleeping, feeding, drinking, even mating all are carried out on its long, elegant, sickle-shaped wings.
Each year, these incredible birds travel thousands of miles from Africa, returning faithfully to Wotton for the summer. Their arrival is one of nature’s most thrilling seasonal spectacles.
Local swift champion Mark Pasco invites you to look up and rediscover this iconic yet often overlooked visitor.
Event Schedule:
7:00pm – Short walk around the Chipping to take in nest sites and (hopefully) enjoy some swift fly-bys
7:30pm – Illustrated talk, including fascinating insights, stunning images, poetry, and time for questions
8:45pm – Approximate finish
Come along to be inspired, informed, and amazed—and to help raise awareness of this truly epic bird.
Free entry and the bar will be open.
All of our public talks are free to attend and are recorded so that they are available to all. This is made possible by support from @strouddistrictcouncil #strouddistrictcouncil