Guildford Swift Project

01/09/2026

Quick update on the Storks.

01/09/2026

Introducing the AfS Swift’s Nest Here Sign ✨

A beautiful, durable galvanised steel sign to proudly let the world know that your home is a swift-friendly one. Whether you’ve had swifts nesting for years or you’re just getting started, this is the perfect way to show your support and spread the word in your street and community.

Because the more people know about swifts, the more people want to help them. 💚

A huge thank you to the brilliant Norwich Swift Network for coming up with the design concept behind this sign — a fantastic example of the swift conservation community working together! 🙌

🗓️ Available from September — and you can pre-order yours right now!

30/08/2026

A lot of chicks were lost in the heat this year. Can you help ?

We're raising £2,000 to help specialist wildlife rescuers care for fallen swift chicks affected by summer heatwaves.

30/08/2026

Finishing off our project at Royal Holloway University. Looking forward to developing links in the future with the University. Many thanks for all the support and enthusiasm from Dr Rebecca Thomas , Associate Professor in Ecology and Conservation, Department of Biological Sciences.

24/08/2026

Many Swifts are still here. Some arrived late and so are leaving late. Swift rehabbers especially still have some in their care.
Here is our local Swift Rehabber releasing her 2nd to last rehabilitated Swift of this season . This is Winnie. Winnie arrived in care at a good weight and its body was covered in feathers . However it had jumped out the nest due to the heat and it was too early for it to fly. Its wings were not long enough past its tail feathers to help it fly safely.
For a bird who will spend its life on the wing and not even learn how to fly, but fly straight from its nest to Africa, its wings need to be in perfect tip top condition.
Its wings need to be 3.5cm longer at least than its tail feathers, and measured folded wing from shoulder to tip needs to be 16 cms , all its wax shafts need to be gone. A perfect weight is also needed , between 40 and 50g. A swift is fed up quite plump by the parents as it grows and develops and needs extra protein, but once ready to fly, the parents will back off the feeding so the chick looses a bit if weight and is lighter to make that long first flight.
Winnie took 2 more weeks in care to grow its wings long enough to then be released. Watch within the red circle, you can see how it automatically starts to turn and fly south .
Good speed Winnie and many thanks to Helena for getting another Swift safely into the sky 🙏 💙

First flight of swift fledgling Winnie, on 22 August 2026

18/08/2026

The skies have gone quiet. 😔 🐦

After months of screaming, diving and dazzling us with their aerial acrobatics, our swifts have left for another year — already on their way back to sub-Saharan Africa, a journey of thousands of miles.

It’s always a strange moment. The silence they leave behind is very real.

But here’s the thing — they will come back. The same birds, to the same spots, next April. And right now, while it’s fresh in your mind, is the perfect time to make sure there’s a proper home waiting for them when they do.

🔗 Browse our range at [email protected] or www.actionforswifts.com

SwiftBox

14/08/2026