Screaming Through the Summer Skies

Swifts at The Inverness Castle Experience

Guest Blog by Imogen Furlong: Head of Countryside Services, High Life Highland.

On warm summer evenings, the skies above The Inverness Castle Experience come alive with one of nature's greatest spectacles. Dark shapes scythe through the air at breathtaking speed, their unmistakable screams echoing around the city centre.

 The swifts have returned.

For many people, swifts are the sound of summer. Their arrival marks the beginning of a brief but extraordinary season, as these remarkable birds return to Scotland after spending the winter thousands of miles away in Africa. Although they are only with us for around 12 weeks each year, swifts lead lives unlike almost any other bird. They feed on the wing, gather nesting material while flying, and can spend months at a time airborne outside the breeding season. They are perfectly adapted for life in the skies.

 Yet despite their aerial lifestyle, swifts depend upon our buildings.

Unlike swallows and house martins, swifts do not build mud nests. Instead, they nest in small cavities high up in buildings, squeezing into gaps beneath roofs, behind stonework and within hidden crevices. Once they have found a suitable nesting site, they will return to it year after year. Historic buildings often provide ideal nesting opportunities, and Inverness Castle is no exception. The castle and surrounding town centre offer the sort of elevated nesting locations that swifts have relied upon for generations.

In recent years, local bird enthusiasts have noticed encouraging signs that Inverness may be supporting a growing breeding population. Summer evenings frequently bring the sight of "screaming parties" of swifts racing around buildings and over rooftops. These noisy aerial gatherings are among the most exciting wildlife spectacles in the city and often indicate birds investigating or returning to nesting sites.

 This is particularly welcome news because swifts have suffered significant declines across the UK. Modern building practices and renovations can remove the small gaps and cavities they need for nesting, while reductions in flying insects have reduced the food available to them. As a result, swifts are now a Red List species of conservation concern in the UK.

 Swifts may finally have caught a break. Earlier this year, Scotland became the first part of the UK to bring in rules that should see swift nesting bricks built into new developments. Given that the loss of nesting sites is one of the biggest challenges these birds face, it is a simple measure that could make a real difference in helping these remarkable birds remain part of our summer skies. Their future depends not only on protecting existing nest sites but also on creating new opportunities for them to breed. Across the country, communities are installing swift nest boxes and incorporating swift bricks into new developments to help reverse their decline. The Inverness Castle Experience installed six such boxes as part of its renovation as a visitor attraction.

The presence of swifts around the castle reminds us that our historic buildings are not only part of our cultural heritage but can also provide important homes for wildlife.  Visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of these remarkable birds can also enjoy excellent views from the mezzanine level of Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. From here, it is possible to look across towards the swift nest boxes installed on the castle. Early indications suggest that swifts may already have discovered some of these boxes and are investigating them, although nesting has not yet been confirmed, and may take a few years.

That in itself would be exciting news. Swifts are often cautious when adopting new nest sites. Birds may spend time prospecting around suitable cavities, investigating entrances, pairing up and even beginning nest construction before breeding eventually takes place. Establishing a new colony can be a gradual process that unfolds over several seasons.

If the castle boxes are successfully adopted, it could mark the beginning of a long relationship between the birds and the site. Swifts are famously faithful to their nesting places, often returning to the very same cavity year after year. Once a pair establishes a nest site, there is every chance that those same birds will make the remarkable journey back from Africa each spring and return to exactly the same spot overlooking Inverness.

For a bird that spends most of its life on the wing and travels thousands of miles between continents, that level of loyalty to a single nesting place is extraordinary. It also means that providing safe nesting spaces today can benefit generations of swifts well into the future.

Celebrate Swift Awareness Week

To mark Swift Awareness Week, High Life Highland Rangers are inviting visitors and residents to join a special guided walk on Sunday, 5th July, around The Inverness Castle Experience and the town centre to discover more about these extraordinary birds.

Join Countryside Ranger John Orr and fellow nature enthusiasts for an evening spent looking skyward as swifts sweep and soar above the castle and surrounding streets. Learn about their remarkable migrations, their fascinating breeding behaviour and the conservation efforts helping secure their future in Inverness.

The walk offers a unique opportunity to experience one of the city's most spectacular natural events while learning how everyone can help support swift populations locally.

Tickets are by donation, with all proceeds going towards the creation of new swift nest boxes to support breeding birds in Inverness. Find out more here.

Participants should meet at the Flora MacDonald statue within the Inverness Castle Experience Garden. Children are very welcome when accompanied by an adult, and binoculars are recommended as these agile birds often fly high overhead.

Spaces are limited, so booking in advance is advised.

As visitors explore The Inverness Castle Experience this summer, keep an eye on the skies. Those dark silhouettes flashing overhead have travelled thousands of miles from Africa to reach the Highlands. For a few precious weeks each year, Inverness becomes part of one of the world's most remarkable migrations.

And once you've heard the scream of a swift racing above the castle walls, it is a sound you will never forget.

Castle Swift Nest Box Photo by John Parrot

Apus Apus photo by Klaus Roggel, Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Apus Apus flying Photo by Keta, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons