I took a bit of a nature break from my studying this afternoon, Environmental Law is ok but… watching our annual visitors was a welcome change.

With the changing climate migrating birds patterns are affected. We are fortunate to have had these Swifts visit us over recent years and have more successful nests this year. Building with clay spit is not easy 😂. Swifts are a bird that can do everything on the wing, including sleeping, staying in the air for approx. 200 days continuously. Migrating from Southern Africa to Europe for mating season. They have had to adapt where they nest due to a reduction in habitat (trees) so now using roof overhangs as per our guests.

I also found out that they live approx. 20 years and are one of the fastest types of birds in level flight at an impressive 69mph! Spookily I have posted this during Swift Awareness Week – Saturday 29 June to Sunday 7 July 2024, the universe working in wonderful ways.

Check out more info here: RSPB Swifts

I am attempting to record more data this year on when the birds arrive and depart. This is my year of measure (in many topics) because its so easy to make assumptions, guesstimates of when things happen or other patterns like consumption. Through measurement we then monitor change. If we are going to change our impact on the environment for example, for our carbon emissions, we should start to measure it.

Back to the Environmental Law, there are many regulations, directives and strategies covering conservation and pollution, we all have a part to play in making sure nature is able to thrive. It makes my studies a bit less dull when I can relate it to birds in my own garden.

Are you seeing any changing patterns in birds near you? Have you started to measure your carbon footprint?

Get in touch if you would like to discuss how building nature awareness can help connect to drivers for behaviour change, if you love it – you protect it! Or if you would like to talk carbon awareness/measure and what it means for you, give me a call.