Helping out our summer visitors to Kerry

HAVE you heard of the Common

Swift?

Do you know this migratory bird that arrives in Ireland in late April/early May? It looks a bit like a swallow but is slightly larger and flies at speed in the skies of our towns and villages.

The bird travels incredible distances from central and east

Africa before finding its way to

Ireland. That’s about a 14,000 mile round trip. Forget the new flights from Farranfore, that’s

Mozambique to Kerry non-stop!

Once settled back in Ireland a swift pair (they pair for life) will try to raise a family – usually two but sometimes three chicks.

Well it turns out that the common swift is not so common!

Its population here has actually decreased by 40% in the last 15 years. One reason is because places where the bird traditionally made a nest and raised chicks are slowly being lost.

If you are living in Tralee, Milltown, Killorglin, Listowel, or as we recently found out, Castleisland and Glenbeigh – then it is likely the bird can be seen, but especially, heard in your streets!.

It has a very distinctive call or “screech” notable at dawn and dusk as the birds move in and out of their nests. They duck and dive at speed through the streets during these hours.

Flying at speeds of 40 miles per hour the bird only comes to an abrupt halt when it enters its nest. Everything else is done on the wing ie as the bird flies – eating, finding nest material, dating their ideal partner and then making a family with that partner! And here is the problem.

Once these fascinating birds arrive in Ireland their nest sites are being lost. Swifts nest in our buildings. They remain faithful to the same partner but also the same nest year after year.

Unlike swallows or starlings that make their presence well known to us by their droppings, a swift family tidies up their own mess (they actually eat it but enough about that fact!). So you may never know you have a swift nesting in your eaves! They leave no mess.

They favour small holes left under eaves or holes in historic walls. Here they make a cosy internal nest which is pretty much invisible to the outside world.

Unfortunately, new building techniques, renovations of old roof spaces and specifically the use of soffits and fascia boards have greatly reduced traditional nest sites. To add to the dilemma swifts will try three or four years in a row to find their old nest – before they finally give up.

That’s three years of potential chicks lost to a mating pair. In a lifespan of maybe 10 productive years that is a lot of family planning time wasted.

So if you are interested in being involved in a swift project with a Tidy Town/ community group or know of traditional nest sites contact the Biodiversity Office of Kerry County Council. Nest box projects are an ideal way to help this amazing bird. Potential nest sites need a little thought. The nest boxes have to be placed near an existing swift nest. The boxes also need a call system to attract the bird. Swifts are a little fussy in their needs.

Several towns have already steamed ahead, including Killorglin and Scoil Eoin, Balloonagh School in Tralee. Scoil Eoin recently installed nine nest boxes with the help of funds raised by the school, the Irish Wildlife Trust and Kerry County Council’s Community Support Fund.

The school also installed a camera into two boxes. They are now waiting and waiting to see if birds will take to the nest and decide to raise their chicks.

We will keep you posted! See http://swiftconservation.ie/ for more information on swifts.

The Common Swift in flight.