WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS
Housing displaced Common Swifts (Apus Apus)
Swifts are the ultimate aerial acrobats. They are known for spending almost their entire life flying, eating, sleeping, and even mating in the air. They are a summer visitor to Ireland, arriving in late April / early May and migrating to Africa for winter.
Many thanks to Cathal Flood (Biodiversity Officer) at Cavan County Council for procuring funds to purchase and distribute a number of swift boxes and callers for installation throughout the townlands of Cavan and Bailieborough.
Members of the Kilmore Care of Creation Group (Patricia Keenan, Barry Kavanagh, Anne McCabe, Sr. Mary Mullin, David Mulligan and Margaret Mulligan together with Noel McHugh of Cavan Parish Pastoral Council met with staff and dedicated volunteers of Birdwatch Ireland and NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Servies). They visited and viewed existing and potential local sites ranging from places of worship, to primary schools, and the local library.
The Kilmore Care of Creation Group will continue to liaise with local stakeholders over the coming months. Patricia Keenan (Chairperson of the Kilmore Care of Creation Group says that today was a great opportunity to draw on the wealth of ornithological expertise and dedication of all involved.
Appraisal of potential sites were carried out by Tara Adcock (Urban birds project officer), and Helen Taylor (Environmental Scientist and Swift Surveyor for the West Cavan Branch) aided by Annie Birtwistle (Ecologists specialising in ornithology), Suzanne Kelly, Terry Byrne and Elizabeth McKenna from Birdwatch Ireland (Cavan branch) and Paul O’Doherty (NPWS).
One might ask, why are we putting up swift boxes in urban buildings, surely birds can nest in trees? Swifts can and originally did nest in trees, but the widespread loss of their natural nesting sites is mainly due to the loss of our ancient woodlands and human activity. Swifts have become an urban bird in an attempt to survive.
This means they are now almost entirely dependent on buildings. Gaps exist under old buildings but modern construction methods and renovations seal up gaps for draught-proofing and insulation. As a result, swifts are experiencing displacement and what’s become known for many bird species as a “housing crisis”.
As a result, swifts are now on the endangered species List (Birds of Conservation Concern Red List) and are experiencing massive population declines (around 69% lost in the Republic of Ireland between 1998-2023). To address this biodiversity emergency, Birdwatch Ireland has recently carried out two local studies: West Cavan Swift Survey (Adcock. T, Taylor. H., and Caffrey, B., 2025) and East Cavan Swift Survey (Finney. K and Birtwistle. A, 2024). Patricia adds that today is a follow on from the findings of this important work. The benefits of providing swifts with high, deep crevices are necessary for raising their young.
We can all help the swift population from declining even further: The main solution involves installing swift nest boxes (external) or swift bricks (built into walls) in buildings. These buildings can include churches, homes, place of business, farm buildings and even new builds.
If you would like more information, please email: [email protected] or contact us through Facebook at: www.facebook.com/kilmorecareofcreation
