You’ll have heard and seen them calling, wheeling and swooping overhead in close formation on fine days recently – screaming parties of swifts. There are colonies in all three villages. These remarkable birds pass their lives entirely in the air except for the summer months when they breed. Take a peek through the nestbox cameras of a Ferris colony at thesibfords.uk/swifts ; watch them live, or view recorded videos of hatchlings being fed – and of an intruder being seen off the premises!

Swifts have been declining in numbers – by over 50% in the last 20 years in the UK – but you can help by putting up nestboxes designed for them, as several Sibford residents have done. Please think about this if you are having work done on your eaves or guttering before next April, when the swifts return from Africa. For further advice, please see the links at thesibfords.uk/swifts, or email me tim@huckvale.net.

Tim Huckvale