Surveys underway in Carlow to locate nest sites of the endangered Swift

BirdWatch Ireland is undertaking breeding Swift surveys across counties Carlow, Monaghan, and Offaly this summer and needs the public's help to locate nesting Swifts in these three counties.

This project is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) under the National Biodiversity Action Plan, and is a collaboration with Carlow County Council, Monaghan County Council, and Offaly County Council.

Swifts are incredible creatures. “This tiny bird, weighing around 40 grams, spends most of its life in the air, only coming to land to nest. It sleeps on the wing, eats, and drinks on the wing, mates on the wing and gathers its nesting material on the wing. When the chicks leave the nest for the first time at about six weeks of age, they most likely won’t touch land again for about 3-5 years when they are ready to breed and find a nesting space of their own. To prepare for their first flight the chicks do push-ups on their wings to strengthen their flight muscles. The chicks only have one chance to get this right. They are a truly astonishing species!” says Tara Adcock, BirdWatch Ireland’s Urban Birds Project Officer.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing drastic declines in our breeding Swift population in Ireland and across much of Europe. In Ireland, we lost 58% of our breeding Swift population in just 18 years! If this rate of loss continues, we will lose our Swift population in Ireland in the next decade or so,” Tara continues.

Across the Republic of Ireland, Swift numbers have declined rapidly in the last few decades. According to the Countryside Bird Survey, operated by BirdWatch Ireland on behalf of NPWS, the Swift population fell by 58% between 1998 and 2016. As such, the Swift is now on Ireland’s endangered or Birds of Conservation Concern Red List, alongside other notable species such as the Curlew, Corncrake and Kestrel.

The reasons for the decline are multi-faceted, but one of the principal driving forces behind the Swifts’ decline may be a lack of nesting space. Swifts are an urban species, having evolved to nest in buildings, in crevices and under eaves, in our towns, villages and cities. Renovations to buildings can result in these nest sites being lost. Swifts are highly site-faithful. As such, they find it difficult to find alternative nesting spaces. Indeed, it is thought that many displaced pairs may never find a new nesting site and thus never breed again once their nest site has been lost.

In addition, in the last few decades, modern buildings have become incredibly well-sealed, meaning there are no longer any cracks or crevices for Swifts to nest in, and thus no new supply of housing for our feathered neighbours. Swifts are thus facing the double-whammy of losing their existing nest sites due to renovations and demolition and very little new nesting space coming on to the market due to current building practices.

To protect Swifts, conservationists need to know first and foremost where they are nesting, and to protect these nest sites before they are lost. The BirdWatch Ireland County Swift Surveyors and experienced volunteers are currently working hard across all three counties to catalogue these nest sites. They will continue to do so into August, after which the Swifts will depart for their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa.

The county surveys carried out this year brings the tally of county boundaries surveyed for Swifts by BirdWatch Ireland up to 18, with Co. Offaly, which was first surveyed in 2017, the first county to be re-surveyed. The survey work undertaken this summer in Co. Carlow builds on work undertaken by Padraig Webb.

On a wider level, there is hope for the Swift, as there are practical solutions to this problem. Swifts can literally be built into our buildings using Swift bricks (bricks with cavities for nesting Swifts, which blend into the fabric of the wall), or they can be provided with nest boxes which are placed on the exterior of the building at appropriate sites. As Swifts are a clean and quiet species, they are perfect house guests, and these bricks and boxes can be used on buildings from hospitals, to schools, to private residences.

Several conservation groups and charities are working hard to reverse the plight of the Swift in Ireland. Such groups include BirdWatch Ireland, Swift Conservation Ireland, Dublin Swift Conservation Group, the Northern Ireland Swift Group, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Northern Ireland, as well as several county councils and Tidy Towns groups. By working together, highlighting the plight and the practical measures which can be put in place to save these remarkable birds, there is hope for this species on the island of Ireland.

If you are aware of Swifts nesting in counties Carlow, Monaghan, and Offaly, please email the details (location, number of Swifts, number of nest sites if known) to  swifts@birdwatchireland.ie.

For more information on Swifts and how you can protect your local Swifts through erecting nest boxes or installing swift bricks, download the ‘Saving Swifts’ guide for free from  www.birdwatchireland.ie  and see Genesis Nest Boxes in Co. Kerry for Swift nest boxes and caller systems.

This project is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service under the National Biodiversity Action Plan, and is a collaboration with Carlow County Council, Monaghan County Council, and Offaly County Council.