Dungannon Swift Project
The Swift
Swifts are those dark coloured streamlined birds which speed and scream over the rooftops of our buildings in the summer. They have a fascinating way of life and a number of curious habits.
Their Latin name, Apus apus, literally means ‘without feet’, and although their short legs and minute, slightly curved feet are ideal for clinging to walls and rock faces, they are useless for holding on to a perch or walking on the ground. Unlike swallows and martins, a swift never intentionally lands on the ground, nor do they perch on wires. Indeed, a swift spends almost all of its life on the wing. They have a greater mastery of the air than any other bird, and drink, bathe, preen, collect food and nesting material, all in flight. They even fly while sleeping, and they are the only bird known to mate on the wing.
The swift is 16-17cm long (6½ inches) and weighs about 50 grams (less than 2 ounces). For such a small bird, it is relatively long lived. The average age is reported to be about 7 years. Swifts mature at 3 or 4 years old. Immature birds will travel from the wintering area in central and southern Africa, to the breeding grounds in Europe and central Asia each year, until they are ready to breed and make it’s first ever landing. The age record for a swift is a bird which was rung as a chick in Switzerland, and recorded again 21 years later. It is estimated by then it had flown perhaps 3 million miles, (far enough to have flown to the moon and back – 6 times).
Swifts are with us for just 3-4 months of the year. The first birds arrive in early May and settle down to breed. In mid June, non breeding birds arrive. By the first week of August the birds start to migrate south, back to Africa, and by mid August they have all gone. This short stay coincides with high insect populations and the long hours of daylight.
Swifts nest in buildings, with the largest colonies being found in old factories, churches and hospitals, but they will use houses as well. They nest in the eaves and deep cavities. Holes around pipe-work, behind worn masonry, and missing bricks and tiles provide good nest places. Once a site has been chosen, it is used throughout the life of the bird. The nest is made from material caught in the air such as grasses, leaves and feathers, stuck together with saliva.
Swifts are single brooded with normally only 2 eggs being laid, which take between 19-23 days to hatch, but in really bad weather the adults may kick the eggs out of the nest and breeding is abandoned.
Parent swifts pack a mass of insects into their throat pouch, to feed to their young. A swift may bring 40 such meals to the young each day. Chicks take 5 to 8 weeks to fledge, depending on the weather. In warmer weather there will be more insects, enabling the young to develop quicker. Unlike other birds fledgling swifts are not fed again by their parents, and must take up an independent airborne life. It is thought that some young birds may hang around for a couple of days before flying south. However, ringing evidence confirms that a young swift can be hundreds of miles southwards on its first trip to its African winter quarters within 48 hours of leaving the nest.
The Project
Dungannon has always had a close affinity with the swift, with even the local football team being named after them. The town has been (and still is) an important area for swifts, with what was believed to be one of the largest colonies in Northern Ireland. It was estimated that up to 100 pairs nested in one street close to the town centre. It is thought that this colony ‘disappeared’ during the 1960’s, but remnants are still breeding in and around the town.
The loss of this colony is mirrored throughout Northern Ireland and indeed the UK. A recent RSPB report estimated that swift numbers in the UK have plummeted by 47% in the last 10 years. Research is still being undertaken as to what is causing this decline. Swifts have similar feeding habits, migration etc to swallows and house martins, and although their numbers have also declined in the past, this has levelled off in recent years. However, swift numbers continue to fall.
It is believed that the loss of nest sites is playing a vital role in the decline in swift numbers. Many of the traditional nesting sites in older buildings are being renovated or demolished and replaced by less ‘swift friendly’ buildings. Modern building techniques have eliminated the nooks and crannies necessary for swifts to nest. Swift Conservation provide some interesting statistics for ‘swift-friendliness’ of building construction: Swifts can nest in 10% of pre 1919 buildings; 1.4% post 1944; close to 0% since 2000.
Swifts return to the same nest, year after year. If they are excluded from a site it can take years before they find another suitable location. However, on the face of it, it looks as if this is one of those rare environmental problems which may have a relatively easy solution – Swift bricks. These are basically blocks that have hollow interiors and a small hole for swift access. They effectively replace a standard block during the construction/refurbishment of a building. Fitted at the highest row of blocks in a building, under the roof, at least 5m up, all you can see from the outside are the tiny holes. If this is not possible, erecting an external swift nest box can be of benefit.
Little is still understood about new nest site and colony establishment. However, what is known is that the best chances of success are at locations close to where there are already swifts breeding nearby. Due to the reluctance to colonise new sites, the project will concentrate on those areas where swifts are known to be breeding. In particular it will look at nesting sites that may be under threat due to refurbishment to encourage the developer/architect to incorporate either swift bricks or boxes into the design. To complement this work, suitable new sites close to existing colonies where it felt these colonies could be expanded, will be identified. It is hoped that should funding be secured, the project will be able to provide a number of swift bricks/boxes for these locations.
Initial surveys in 2008 and 2009 identified a number of nest sites around Dungannon town. Unfortunately there are no ‘big’ colonies remaining in Dungannon. However, a few ‘significant’ sites (buildings with 5+ pairs) have been identified. One or two of these may possibly be under threat due to redevelopment. These are being monitored and it is hoped that the developer can be encouraged to incorporate swift nest sites into the redevelopment.
The surveys also identified a number of scattered nest sites with 1 or 2 breeding pairs. Approaches will be made to owners of these or adjacent buildings to encourage them to put up nest boxes to try to establish more colonies.
A publicity campaign to raise awareness of the swift has been and will continue to be undertaken each year. To date the survey work has only been undertaken in Dungannon town, but in 2010 this will be expanded out into some of the villages in the Borough. Local residents will be encouraged to participate in the survey, and to put up nest boxes to help save these extraordinary birds.
If you would like to assist in this project, please contact Mark Edgar, Biodiversity Officer, Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council.