Common swift flying to a nest box by Nick Upton
BirdRun Prize Draw
| Friday 5 May 2023: The swifts have arrived!
The winner of the prize draw, a two-night stay at the luxury Hotel du Vin in Stratford-upon-Avon, is Mike Dick from Reading. Congratulations Mike! The two runners-up, who each receive a copy of Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman, are Nigel Upstone also from Reading and William Wells from Oxford. Well done to our three winners and a big thank you to everyone who took part. |
BirdRun is a new prize draw challenging you to guess the exact date migrating swifts will return to our headquarters at The Lodge, Oxford.
The Lodge provides 10 essential nesting boxes for swifts, and the ecology team eagerly watch out for their return each year. After their long and often dangerous journey from southern Africa to Britain they need a safe place to raise their chicks. BBOWT has partnered with BirdRun to verify the first sighting, which could be anytime from the end of April to early/mid-May.
Win a break for two
Those that guess the correct date will be entered into a draw for a fabulous two-night stay in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. Two copies of Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman are also available to win - a beautiful, eye-opening read about the incredible work to unlock the secrets of migration.
Profits will go to our work, such as grassland, heathland and wetland restoration.
Common swift in flight by Jon Hawkins
The swifts are coming...
Together, BBOWT and BirdRun want to raise awareness of the extraordinary annual migration of swifts.
Swift boxes at the BBOWT headquarters, Oxford by Chris Deeney
But when?
Can you predict when they will arrive back at our nest boxes this year?
Since 1995 swift numbers have declined by over 50%. Without nesting sites that situation will worsen.
After 3 years of non-stop flying between the UK and southern Africa these amazing birds are ready to nest and start a new family. They fly more than 6,500 miles across all sorts of obstacles; jungles, oceans, deserts, and mountains to get here. No-one knows when they will finally make it to their nest sites in any year.
We are one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and destruction of habitats means the swift is just one of many species increasingly threatened. It is now on the Red List of Birds at risk of extinction in Great Britain.
Swifts love insect-rich environments, particularly those with water, so BBOWT sites like Chimney Meadows in Oxfordshire, Hosehill Lake in Berkshire and Calvert Jubilee in Buckinghamshire are perfect hunting grounds. Your support will go towards maintaining and enhancing these habitats, so more swifts can safely feed and raise chicks.
