Common Swift, Apus apus, nest box scheme 2008

[mark smyth]

A reply has come to a swift group member in Belgium. It reads

Swifts killed at demolition shed: unfortunate case. With the demolition of old sheds of the NV Wilmarsdonk, last Friday & Saturday, nests of a colony swifts destroyed. Some hundred birds got killed. Another eighty have been taken to Birdcare centres of Brasschaat and Kieldrecht. At the moment 61 birds that will fly away soon are taken care of in the birdcare centre van Brasschaat. Saturday, the demolition, thanks to Natuurpunt (nature point) and the patrolman of the section Natuur en Bos (forest) was put on hold.

A minute protocol was made as it concerns protected birds that may not be disturbed during the breeding season. That this demolition involves this colony is an unfortunate case that could have been prevented by a better communication.

The Antwerp harbour council and Natuurpunt regret the fact that this demolition had these results. Both parties say they will do anything to prevent such tragidy in the future. Some initiatives have been taken already. The Antwerp harbour council already places nests for swifts on their own buildings. But more is needed. First The Antwerp harbour council wants to keep an eye to demolition or rebuilding of old sheds where swifts colonies live only after breeding season. To compensate the inevitable loss of the nests at this demolition, the Antwerp harbour council will give a finacial hand to those who are willing to put such nestboxes in/on their buildings. The Antwerp harbour council and Natuurpunt Antwerp-North together will
combine their contineous efforts to give these protected birds and other animals a place in the Antwerp harbour.

Swifts return to their safe nests every year. In the harbour area lives another colony swifts in other sheds. They are not at any threat.

[Anthony Darby]

At least young swifts are easy to rear. You just need a Robinson MV moth trap or bags of 'Minced Morsels' (dog food advertised by Clement Freud) and loads of water. Once they start exercising their wings their food intake increases 10 fold!

[mark smyth]

Here's some action at my house this afternoon

[mark smyth]

and one more

[mark smyth]

I'm om TV tonight talking swifts. If you have Sky TV zoom around the channels until you find the regional programmes. You're looking for UTV news

[Maggi Young]

I'm om TV tonight talking swifts. If you have Sky TV zoom around the channels until you find the regional programmes. You're looking for UTV news

okey dokey, Mark.

[mark smyth]

They didnt show me

[Rafa]

Terrible pictures Mark , and thank you for this beautiful topic that show other things apart human barbarity.

Yesterday I found one of the common Swift that was born this year under my house roof. It was a pity because it had grown with a string attached to one foot and finally it had jumped from the nest with this string all around its body and even going through its leg. I examitated it to see how to help it and I saw the string had strangled the foot as it had been growing up amputating the foot. I decided to cut the string and the dry foot which was dead and hanging from the rest of the leg by a bit of skin. The injury had healed and I gave it water with sugar and many insects.

Today I threw it up and it went off flying perfectly

[mark smyth]

It should live OK with only one foot. For the next 2 to 5 years in will fly non stop and will not need a foor

[mark smyth]

On Friday I was at a meeting with the RSPB along with the people who run
Northern Ireland Swift Group http://www.saveourswifts.co.uk/ under contruction
London Swifts http://www.londons-swifts.org.uk/
Action for Swifts http://www.actionforswifts.com/
Concern for Swifts Scotland http://www.concernforswifts.com/
the guy who is running the UK swift data base http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/uk-swifts/

The RSPB want one UK wide swift group that everyone will be under
http://www.swift-conservation.org/

The RSPB now recognise, after years of compaigning, that there is a population problem. A few years ago stats showed the population down 30% with the greatest decline in Scotland and SE England. The Breeding Bird Survey 2007 just published shows the decline is now 50% in these areas. The RSPB will now put money towards helping stop the decline. Colonies will hopefully be safe from building work. If nests in walls and under eaves cant be kept nest boxes will have to go up. They need a full UK survey. Please I urge you to register for the UK swift survey at the link below? They need info on swifts sites that you know of and sites that have been lost. This can be single nests or colonies

For Northern Ireland I'm collecting data to add to a Google map.


We're also looking for 'Swift Champions' across the UK and Ireland to look for swifts in low flying screaming parties (house height or less), nest sites and report anything that may destroy a nest site/colony.

The RSPB will be granted access to the maps by the NI Swift Group and Cambridge bird club. Like the UK project I need street names, town and postcode for this to work. If the colony is in a large commercial building I need to know and how many there are e.g my house 4 pairs or 10 pairs lost at demolished mill address ...

The fantastic news is the swift has just been added to the amber list in Ireland. This means someone has pointed out their decline.

I've said it before but if every UK and Ireland based SRGC member with a suitable house, two storey and clear way in and out for birds, could put up a couple of swift nest boxes that could help the serious decline due to lost nest sites. Swifts are guaranteed little or no mess and their nest boxes are starling proof

[mark smyth]

I heard tonight that the amber listing for the swift in Ireland includes the north.

This is the kind of thing swifts are up against. 12 pairs used to nest along the side of this building

[Armin]

Mark,

there is obvious the problem of heat insulation of walls and roofs to limit global warmings (ones energy expenses) vs. destruction of nests /housings/ billets not only for swifts but also of bats.
The sad thing is people don't care (respect) animals needs...
Fair compromises are found to rarely.

[mark smyth]

when I speak to people about bats and swifts their answer is nearly always the same - "what use are they?" or "what do they do for me?"

[Joakim B]

eating flies and mosquitos is the answer is it not Mark for what good are swifts and bats.

[Paul T]

Ah yes, but why does something have to be "for the good of mankind" to be allowed to exist?  It's different where something is breeding out of all proportions (rats, snails etc) where mankind is the reason for the population, but why must something have a use before it is allowed to live?  if that was the case the human race would be killed off immediately, because in general we are not "good for" anything.