Kidlington Swift Watch marked this year’s Swift Awareness Week (2 – 10 July) with a lovely join-the-dots ramble between a number of swift hotspots in north Kidlington. About 30 gathered at Lyne Rd Green, where local bird enthusiast Richard Abernethy kicked us off with an introduction to all things swift: a slew of interesting swift facts about their lifecycle (6 years ish, but with the oldest recorded making 21!); migration (travelling from West Africa in 5 days!); conservation (numbers in the UK have fallen by 50% in the last couple of decades); how they feed their young (insect burger anyone?!); and how they pull off the extraordinary feat of a life spent almost entirely on the wing. We visited a number of homes where swift boxes had been installed and enjoyed the aeronautic cavorting of the swifts above as the sun touched down over Park Avenue. What a lovely evening! Thanks to those who made it happen!