Every Swift Counts

Louise Bentley dedicates every summer to hand-rearing fallen swifts. These miraculous birds fly over 3400 miles all the way from Africa to share our homes.

Sadly, their numbers are now in steep decline and they are red listed as endangered. In her Bolton home, Louise takes 50 fallen chicks under her wing and hand feeds each of them every hour night and day, to give them a chance to grow.

We follow the fortunes of ‘Babs’, ‘Winchester’ and ‘Taylor’ as they struggle to gain the weight they need, in a race against time to be ready for their return migration to Africa. Every swift counts and for Louise, having formed such a bond with each individual bird, releasing them to the freedom of the skies is both a tender and magical moment.