Swifts migrate to Fulbourn from Africa to breed and they are here for just three months from May to August. They spend their life almost entirely on the wing and only come in to land at their nest sites, usually in nooks and crannies in old buildings, or in special nest boxes or nest bricks. They are in dramatic decline in the UK and have recently been Red Listed as a species of conservation concern. Swift Bird Facts | Apus Apus – The RSPB
The village is fortunate to have a large swift colony, based on the Swifts Development, which survived the re-development of the old Windmill Estate thanks to what has been described as one of the most successful UK nest box projects. Concerns for the survival of the swift colony during the building work inspired us to set up Fulbourn Swifts Group, an informal group of villagers interested in swifts and their conservation, and organise a Community Swift Survey. Action for Swifts: Fulbourn Community Swift Survey 2014
Also, we encourage the installation of nest boxes and organise events to increase awareness of these wonderful birds and, of course, we continue to enjoy the wonderful summer swift flying activity over the village. There are probably over 100 pairs of breeding swifts in Fulbourn each summer, but this is mostly on the Swifts Development and in a small nucleus around the Church and Old Manor, so we are always looking to extend this with nest box projects in other areas of the village. We have produced a leaflet on choosing and installing a swift nest box.
Our main project in recent years has been the collaboration with St Vigor’s Church to organise the installation of 18 nest boxes in the Church Tower, which has proved very successful with five pairs nesting in 2022. Three nest boxes are monitored by cameras, which provides the opportunity for ‘live’ viewing for some events. Further information about this project is available online Action for Swifts: St Vigor’s Belfry and in the leaflet ‘Swifts at St Vigor’s Church’.
In the wider Cambridge area, we are collaborating with Action for Swifts and the Over and Swavesey Swifts Conservation Project to lobby for the installation of swift bricks in new homes in major new developments such as Northstowe and Cambourne West. Also, we are part of the Swifts Local Network, a UK wide informal association of over 120 local swift conservation groups for the exchange of ideas, and to participate in the UK Swift Awareness Week in July each year. Action for Swifts: Swifts Local Network (SLN)
The success of the Swifts Development nest box project has been widely publicised with BBC regional television coverage and a Case Study on the RSPB website (see Link 5). Video and still photographs of swifts taken in Fulbourn by the RSPB in 2017 are used to illustrate their web site and on swift coverage in television programmes.
They have recently released this lovely video about Swifts, starring some Fulbourn residents! https://youtu.be/W8NuL5mEpjo?feature=shared
Details of Fulbourn Swift Group events, which are open to everyone, can be found in The Mill, on www.fulbournforum.co.uk and on the Fulbourn Forum Facebook page. For further information contact: fulbournswifts@gmail.com
Fulbourn Forum 