Lewes Swift Supporters – what we’ve been up to

Lewes Swift Supporters (LSS) has had an interesting year of monitoring the swifts in Lewes because some of them were still returning to their nests up until 6 September – over a month later than usual, reports Audrey Jarvis.

Since the swift season finished, we have been busy installing nest boxes for Lewes residents. Swifts are now on the red list of birds of conservation concern because their numbers have declined by 58 per cent since 1995. One of the factors in their decline is a lack of suitable nest spaces under roof eaves due to demolition or renovation of older buildings. Since 2020, LSS have installed 92 single boxes, 36 double boxes and one triple box, providing a potential 167 nest spaces for prospecting swifts in future years.

If you would like to join LSS, membership is free. We send out occasional newsletters to report on Lewes swifts, and organise walks and talks for members. Contact  to join or to ask for advice about installing a nest box at your home.

You can also find out more about Lewes Swift Supporters and how to help Swifts by visiting our website: https://e-voice.org.uk/lewesswiftsupporters/