Our Action for Nature Group are…
Standing with Swifts
The story so far…
Collaborating with the Kirriemuir Scouts, Cubs and Beavers we launched our Standing with Swifts project in 2025, with the aim of celebrating these iconic and endangered birds that return to spend their summers in Kirriemuir each year.
In June 2025, on World Swift Day, Kirriemuir Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, along with Action for Nature volunteers paraded from the Scout Hall to Kirriemuir Town Square for a celebration of these outstanding birds. They carried ‘swifts on sticks’ which they’d made in the run up to the event, and two beautifully designed and painted banners featuring the Kirriemuir skyline.
After ‘planting’ their swifts round the Peter Pan statue, and sharing information about swifts with spectators and supporters, they returned to the Scout Hall for some well deserved juice and (swift) biscuits. Amazingly, some of the swifts themselves were flying around above as the celebrations took place; they must have known it was World Swift Day!
The parade was a final celebration of 2025 which followed months of planning and preparation within the group. The Scouts created a series of posters with facts about swifts on them which were displayed in local shops, along with swift bunting made by the Cubs. The Scouts also made the beautiful banner and took part in a Swift Walk with SK volunteers. The Beavers made swifts on sticks, and learned about the birds through stories.
Continuing the Swift Awareness our volunteers also led a public Swift Saunter through the town centre, identifying nesting sites, and watching in awe at the screaming parties overhead.
Did you know…
Swifts always return to the place of their birth – so Kirrie is their home and where they have their young.
Coming up in 2026…
Following the success of the collaboration both parties were keen to work together more. Keeping with the creative idea the Scouts designed their own Swift T-shirts with the winning design chosen to be made into real life T-shirts for them all to wear throughout Swift Season. The Action for Nature volunteers were so impressed they’ve decided to get their own T-shirts made too!
Our 2026 Swift Saunter will be on 1st July at 8.15pm and anyone is welcome to attend. Booking is required and can be done on the event page.
What You Can Do to Help our Swifts
- Log any sightings of swifts, their nests or nest boxes on SwiftMapper.
- Put up a nest box or install a swift brick.
- Increase pollinator planting in your outdoor space – more food for insects means more insects for swifts to feed on!
- Join our Action for Nature group to help us take more community action for nature.
Are you a community group or business who would like to join us in taking a stand for swifts? We’ve also created a Kirriemuir Swift Charter and we’d love you to sign up to it, to show your commitment to supporting our swifts. Email us if you’d like to be acknowledged as a supporter of our charter.
