Join local author and Shropshire Wildlife Trust Communications Officer Sarah Gibson as she takes us on a ‘Swift Walk’ around Oswestry to celebrate the publication of her new book Swifts and Us.
Each summer swifts bring us three months’ joy, scything over the rooftops in screaming groups, stirring wonder and excitement in those that notice them. Swifts live almost entirely in the air. They eat, drink, sleep, mate and gather their nesting materials on the wing, fly thousands of miles across the world, navigating their way around storms, never lighting on tree, cliff or ground, until they return home with the summer.
In Sarah’s book, Swifts and Us, she writes a fascinating story of discovery, exploring aspects of the swift’s life, from its earliest beginnings 50 million years ago to recent revelations about migration routes garnered from geolocators. Swifts nest in our towns, cities and villages and this is a story of people too: those who have studied swifts, those who rehabilitate casualties and particularly, those who are taking conservation action to help them.
For the past 20 years Sarah has worked for Shropshire Wildlife Trust, soaking up knowledge of nature from earthstars to Emperor Moths; from Pied Flycatchers to Pine Martens. Regrettably, she has also absorbed much about biodiversity loss, habitat degradation and pollution. Her work at the Wildlife Trust has been to communicate the fabulousness of nature, the perils it faces and what people can do to help turn things around. And how, by reinvigorating nature, we can renew ourselves too!
This walk and talk around Oswestry starts and finishes at Booka. Places are limited.
Single and couple/two person tickets are available for this event.
All tickets include a signed copy of Swifts and Us
Tickets: £17 (includes a signed copy of Swifts and Us) or £20 (couple/two person ticket with one signed book). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee)