Swiftly does it
For residents of Bradford on Avon, swifts in the sky around the rooftops of the town on their return from Africa mark the true beginning of summer, but what they didn't know was that these amazing birds are under threat.
'How to draw a swift'- Jonathan Pomroy in action
To raise awareness of their plight (they have declined by over 50% in recent years), Bradford on Avon Swift Group joined together with other groups all over the country to organise events.
They were delighted that former resident, wildlife author and swift expert Jonathan Pomroy returned to Bradford on Avon for two events - an evening talk about the birds followed by a walk around the town to spot swifts and where they are nesting.
Then on the following Sunday, as part of their Eco Church commitment, Holy Trinity Bradford on Avon were delighted to welcome both the BoA Swift Group and Jonathan by hosting an exhibition of his paintings and a book signing of his recent book, 'On Crescent Wings'.
Jonathan also gave a very informative talk about the drawing of swifts, all followed by tea and homemade cakes kindly prepared by the Swift Group.
Rowena Quantrill, Bradford on Avon Swift Group member said:
"Swifts had a real battle on migration this year with cold and gales affecting them badly as they travelled through Europe and the cool, wet weather we have had for much of May and June has not suited them either, but our group has been very busy putting up nest boxes round town so we are hoping that they will find some of these and numbers will not have been too badly affected by the weather.
"Lots of local people and visitors came along to hear Jonathan and learnt more about how we can help these remarkable birds."
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