BIRDWATCH WITH JAMES SHARPE AT ARUNDEL WILDFOWL AND WETLANDS TRUST

Of all our birds, swifts (Apus apus, meaning 'without feet') hold special interest, swifts are aerial masters and really do live in a different world to us.

Most of the birds we are familiar with are largely terrestrial; they fly as a means of getting from a to b, whether this is to find food, a territory to breed in or to escape predators.

Of course it is an elegant way to get around but for most birds that is all it is, they actually spend most of their time on the ground or sat in a tree.

A swift egg hatches; the youngster is (hopefully) fed by its parents on a rich supply of aerial insects until it is fully grown and ready to take its first flight. It climbs out of the nest clumsily using its tiny, mouselike feet. It pops out of the nest and opens its wings for the first time and ...

That first flight may last up to four years. It will certainly last a year or more. There are only two reasons swifts land, the first is to build a nest and breed (you can't build nests on clouds), the second is when they die.

For full story see West Sussex Gazette July 11