Limerick council vote for bird conservation measures in planning decisions

The Gabhlán Ghaoithe, the swift, comes to Ireland in May from its winter migration in tropical Africa. Once in abundance, human interference in nesting sites is responsible for the bird’s rapid population decline.

The swift bird (in latin, apus apus) was moved from the amber list to the red list (high conservation concern) in Birdwatch Ireland’s most recent conservation report, with a population decline of close to 50% in the past 30 years.

The report hypothesised that the decline is a result of renovation and demolition projects in houses, barns and sheds. A report by Swift Conservation Ireland point out that swifts prefer ‘old’ nesting sites, and renovation and upgrade works destroy their nests.

“Swifts exhibit strong fidelity to their nest sites and it is possible that the steady decline in numbers is linked to the loss of many traditional nest cavities in buildings which have been renovated or demolished.”

PLANNING DECISIONS

Last month Limerick City & Council voted in favour of a motion to include the placement of swift bird nesting boxes as a condition attached to planning decisions. Other methods of encouraging swifts to nest include special swift blocks that can be built into a wall, with small holes that the birds can fly into. These blocks lie right next to breeze blocks, and so do not impede the structure of the building.

The holes are large enough for a swift to enter, but small enough to prevent starlings from getting in.

The motion was raised by Green Party Councillor, Seán Hartigan in a meeting of Limerick Council in November, and seconded by Cappamore-Kilmallock councillor Eddie Ryan from Galbally, who said he “won’t accept people being against this.”