Donegal County Council has been asked to adopt a Swift nest box project to help save the endangered bird species.
The Irish Swift population is now officially red listed, having dropped by 40% since 2007.
The Common Swift arrives in Ireland to breed from southern Africa in May and departs by late August.
Swift numbers have been falling. According to Bird Watch Ireland, the loss of nest sites due to building renovations and the construction of modern buildings without suitable cavities is a large part of the problem.
Donegal County Councillor Barry Sweeny has called on the council to take a lead role in creating habitats for the birds.
He said that Swift boxes could be added to existing buildings, during retrofitting or in the building of new public buildings. He highlighted Birdwatch Ireland’s Saving Swifts guide as a useful resource for the council to follow.
“They are amazing birds. They can stay in the air for over a year at a time. They very rarely land and consequently have very short legs,” Cllr Sweeny said.
Swifts are site-faithful, meaning they will return to the same nest site for many years.
“Contrary to some impressions, they are not that messy, they are not as bad as swallows,” Cllr Sweeny added.
Cllr Sweeny added that local Tidy Towns committees and Men’s shed groups could be invited to join the project.
Cllr Sweeny’s motion was passed at Monday’s meeting of Donegal County Council. In response, the executive said it will liaise with Birdwatch Ireland, both in terms of locations/sites and the correct placement of the boxes.
