After three years of concerted effort, swifts have arrived at RSPB NI headquarters!
In 2012, swift nest boxes and a calling system were installed at our head office in Belvoir Forest, Belfast, in an attempt to provide homes for these threatened birds. In June, screaming parties of swifts were spotted investigating the existing boxes at Belvoir.
We then decided to add another couple of boxes to the wall where the calling system is currently playing. Now, we’re thrilled to say that there have been swifts spotted entering and exiting the boxes!
Belvoir Forest is a wonderful place to be based most of the time anyway, but the sight and sound of screaming swifts whizzing about the courtyard has brought smiles to a lot of faces!
Swifts are amazing birds which travel around 12,000 miles every year from Africa to the UK and Ireland to feed and breed, but they are listed as amber on the Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland list (and in Britain as well), as their populations have declined, most likely due to loss of nest sites.
They are acrobatic masters, swooping high through the skies with their distinctive scythe-shaped wings. In fact, they are such adept fliers that they eat and sleep on the wing, not touching the ground unless they are raising chicks!
We don’t yet know if our visitors are going to breed this year, or if they are younger birds scoping out suitable nest sites for the future, so everyone is keeping a close eye on the boxes and recording their behaviour.
We are interested in recording all swift sightings over the summer months, so if you see or hear one, nip on over to rspb.org.uk/swiftsurvey to let us know. We can use the data we collect to find out where these birds are breeding all over the UK, and to begin to help them.
This is also very encouraging for the Pledge for Nature – our urban nature project which has seen ten companies from across Northern Ireland sign up to take steps for urban wildlife, including swifts.