What is a swift caller and how is it bringing swifts and people together across Dumfries and Galloway? Our hosts, Sarah, Kaska and Chiara join Andrew Turney on a journey to meet swifts, swift brick pioneers and hear about how networking and collaboration turned a small group of swift enthusiasts into a rapidly expanding multi-partner Dumfries and Galloway Network.

This podcast episode is a collaboration between SCCAN and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and a companion piece to the In Real Life blog series which you can find on climateconfident.scot. It’s a part of SCVO’s Growing Climate Confidence project, which supports third sector organisations in Scotland to reduce carbon emissions, take positive climate action and become more resilient.

You can read the In Real Life blog here: https://climateconfident.scot/stories

NOTE: Unfortunately, since we met Andrew at the Sanquhar Shed have decided that at the moment they do not have capacity to embark on stepping up production of the solar PV callers alongside their other activities. This is disappointing for the Dumfries Swift Group from the swift conservation point of view, however the Swift Group said that they respect the decision made, and if there is a future decision to continue with the caller project they look forward to teaming up again.

Credits

Interview: Sarah McArthur

Production, recording, editing: Kaska Hempel

Support and photography: Chiara Fingland

Hosting: Sarah, Chiara and Kaska

Resources

Growing Climate Confidence: https://climateconfident.scot

Growing Climate Confidence In Real Life: https://climateconfident.scot/stories

The D&G Swift Network can be contacted via dandgswifts@gmail.com.

Save Our Swifts: local organisations get together to protect swift colonies - story on the UNESCO Biosphere on Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere website: https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/save-our-swifts-local-organisations-get-together-to-protect-swift-colonies-in-the-unesco-biosphere/

Sanquar Men’s Shed https://www.facebook.com/SanquharMensShed

Prison swift box project BBC story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89e0gjy4vzo

Save Our Swifts project - UNESCO Biosphere Dumfries and Galloway https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/save-our-swifts-local-organisations-get-together-to-protect-swift-colonies-in-the-unesco-biosphere/