RSPB England

We're excited to kick off National Moth Week with a spotlight on the fascinating Six-belted Clearwing (Bembecia ichneumoniformis)! 🦋

✨ The most northerly UK record of this incredible moth was found at Saltholme in summer 2023. With its six yellow bands on the abdomen, it cleverly mimics a wasp.

Join us from 20th-28th July as we celebrate these amazing creatures and the vital roles they play in our ecosystem. There’s so much to learn and appreciate about moths! 🌿



📷Image: Six-belted Clearwing. Credit: Ed Pritchard

Bird migration is one of the great wonders of the natural world. It's no more celebrated that at Spurn MigFest 6-8 September.

This fantastic festival has something for all including guided walks on the Spurn Penninsula, talks, stalls and food. Including a talk by the eminent Swedish ornithologist Lars Svensson brought to you by the RSPB and British Birds magazine.

There's also only a day or two left to put in an application for entry into the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder competition to which the winner will be announced on Sunday 8 September. Applications for entry must be received by midnight on 21 July, so if you know any keen young birders who might be interested they need to get cracking. https://bit.ly/3Wsk15E

Tickets for the festival are still available to purchase. https://www.spurnmigfest.com

Let's all play our part to help protect moths! RSPB Saltholme, in Teesside, is buzzing with excitement as they’ve just discovered their 500th moth species, the Reed Minor!
🌟 And it couldn’t have come at a better time, with National Moth Week starting tomorrow.

The Reed Minor, a rare moth, has made a comeback in county Durham after 50 years. This highlights how important our wetland habitats are for these amazing creatures.

Moths might be small, but they have a big impact on our environment. They help pollinate plants and provide food for other wildlife. So, let’s show some love for moths and our ecosystem!

Ever wondered what the difference is between a moth and a butterfly?
Find out more on our blog: https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/rspb-england/posts/what-s-the-difference-between-a-moth-and-a-butterfly



📷 Picture is a Reed Minor Moth. Credit: Ed Pritchard

Dragonflies have a fantastic flying ability. Their helicopter like wings allow for agile flying, enabling movement in any direction, hovering at rapid speed.

To think these supreme flying machines are from prehistoric times is unbelievable, but dragonfly ancestors were around long before T-Rex. These prehistoric flyers are also some of the largest insects that ever lived.

Dragonflies and damselflies hold their wings differently allowing for easy differentiation. When at rest dragonflies hold their wings out to the side of their body, whilst damselflies hold them folded down alongside their body.

📸 Four-spotted Chaser sitting on a stick, photo taken from underneath set against a blue sky by Jo Taylor

Come along and check out the RSPB stand at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, from 17-21 July to discover wildlife-friendly garden tips. Be in with a chance of winning our free prize draw by revealing your code via the link below and quoting it to our team on the day. Find out more:

Visiting a show this year? Check out the RSPB stands at Balmoral Show, RHS Hampton Court, RHS Tatton Park or Grand Designs Live to discover wildlife-friendly gardening tips. If you’re one of the first 50 visitors, you can claim a free copy of RSPB British Naturefinder!

Here are some truly amazing Swift facts to end our celebration of Swift Week.…..And we want to send a HUGE thank you to every single one of you who has installed a Swift brick to help this special bird.

Did you know that?

🛁 Swifts seem to bathe by flying relatively slowly through falling rain.
💪 At one month old, the chicks do ‘press ups’ in the nest, lifting themselves up by pushing down on their wings, probably to strengthen them.
⚡ Swifts are the fastest birds in level flight, with an impressive top speed of 69mph.
🌍 After leaving their nests, Swifts keep flying non-stop for three years.
😴 They eat, mate and sleep in the air – they can even ‘snooze’ with one side of their brain and then switch to the other side – who wouldn’t just love to be able to do that?

Thank you for helping our Swifts!



See how one local community is helping to save our Swifts.

Saving the Swifts - a short movie from the RSPB with input from Leeds Swifts

🌟 Swift numbers have declined by more than half over the last 20 years. One of the key reasons for this decline is due to a loss of nesting sites, and we could lose this precious species forever if we don’t act. 😢

In May, at the end of their gruelling journeys from Africa to the UK, Swifts are on the lookout for spaces to nest in high crevices of buildings or loft spaces. 🏘️ These sites are often found in older buildings, but as many of these have been lost in cities and towns across the country, this has meant less space for Swifts to make their home.

🔄 Swifts will return to the same space each year to breed and may find their nest site gone or access blocked by plastic soffits or insulation. 🚫

So, we need your help! 🆘 Can you help make a home for a Swift? 🏡 Check out our guide to helping Swifts. 📖

🔗 https://bit.ly/HelpingSwifts

🎉 Happy Swift Week and Happy Swift Home Making! 🥳

📣 Lancaster has been officially declared a ‘Swift City’, one of just four of its kind in the UK. 📣

The official designation is the culmination of hard work, led by the residents of Grasmere Road, which was declared the first ‘Swift Street’ in Lancaster in 2022.

A ‘Swift Charter’ has been signed by residents, local politicians and community and conservation organisations highlighting the city’s pledge to protect the future of the birds. The city has vouched to provide more nesting sites in the form of Swift boxes and install Swift bricks on new build houses. Alongside a dedication to create more wildflower spaces to encourage and attract greater numbers of insects which the birds feed on. 👏

📸 Close up image of a Swift flying in a bright blue sky - Shutterstock
Swift decorations hung up outside a house in Lancaster - Louise Bentley
Alasdair McKee, local groups officer holding the Lancaster City Swift Charter - Mark Edwards
Two Swift boxes on the outside of a house - Mark Edwards

😮 Incredible footage on this LIVE video straight from the heart of a Swift nest box where three chicks have hatched! 😍 Swifts only land to nest, you can see how difficult it is for them when they do, due to their short legs and feet.

3 chicks hatched! | Live Swift nest box | RSPB Watch Swifts live during the 2024 nesting season thanks to the support of Louise Bentley from Bolton and Bury Swifts, with technical support from Wildlife Wi...

☀️ The winner of this months Facebook photo cover competition voted for by the RSPB England Communications Team is Sallyanne Redden with this amazing Puffin launching into a sunny summer sky! Congrats Sallyanne 👏

If you didn't win this time round, fear not! Look out for the August photo competition towards the end of this month with a seaside wildlife/holiday theme! 🦀 🌊

As a non stop aerial acrobat, Swifts find food and water on the wing. They are insectivorous, and all that flying has a high enery cost, so they need to eat lots. They can eat up to 100,000 flying insects every day, catching these as they soar through the air.

A drop in insect numbers has a huge impact on Swifts. However, by planting more flowers and grasses in our gardens and community spaces we can encourage more insects, which provide this vital food source for Swifts and many other insect eating birds.

Swifts also have to drink too, they do this by either skimming over water or by catching raindrops.

📸 Shutterstock

1. A close up image of a Swift flying with its mouth wide open
2. A close up front on image of a Swift stood up
3. A Swift flying over water with an insect in its mouth

Help us build a picture of where Swift nest sites need to be protected and where future nest sites need to be, by using our Swift Mapper to log your sightings. Check out our handy 'how to' guide 👉 bit.ly/SwiftMapHow2

Photo by Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

This Paloma Faith hit had us thinking about Turtle Doves.

Each year Turtle Doves navigate the Sahara Desert and western Europe to return to their breeding sites in the UK – a journey that threatened their survival until recently. An estimated one million birds were being legally hunted across Spain, Portugal and France every year. This practice was recognised as unsustainable for the population, and a temporary ban approved in 2021 thanks to the efforts of conservation groups and governments, including the RSPB.

Come and see us at our stand in the Green Future Field at to find out more about our conservation projects and Operation Turtle Dove.

And remember to let us know of any songs you hear that can squeeze a bird in the title...

Swifts are desperately in need of more nest boxes in our towns and cities. If you would like to know how to make your own, then check out our video for step by step instructions. Swifts make the perfect tenants, they are clean and trouble free.

How to make a home for swifts | RSPB Nature on Your Doorstep Fix a wooden swift box to the outside of your home to give these threatened birds somewhere to nest.Read our step-by-step guide: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-...

Swifts are incredible birds but a cause for their decline is a loss of nesting sites. They might spend a lot of their life in flight but need suitable nesting sites to raise their young. One great way you can help these special birds is by making a a home for swifts. It's also a fun activity to get stuck into! Check out how here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8nkBmseeWo&t=26s

Guess who? Swift, Swallow or House Martin...

Swifts share the skies with other similar birds. Whilst they are not in the same the family, they can be mistaken at a glance or in the distance.
Swifts are the largest of these aerial acrobats and will never be seen perched on telegraph wires, posts or the ground as the others may occasionally be.
Swifts have a curved wing and are much darker than either a Swallow or a House Martin. The Swallow stands out by having a red throat and a much more finely forked tail whilst the House Martin has a white rump and lesser forked tail.

'Tis the season for wintry walks and the magic they bring. Whether it's the golden glow of a winter sunset, the frost sparkling on cobwebs, or the pop of colour from bright red berries on bare branches, the colder months are the perfect time to wrap up warm and enjoy a wintry walk. Pull on your gloves and scarf, and see what nature has in store for you at your local RSPB nature reserve: https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves ❄️ 🐦

Please check the local weather forecast and nature reserve website before you visit.