Swifts, who live on a diet of pest-insects like flies and midges and are found on farms across Ireland, are on "the brink of extinction”, according to BirdWatch Ireland.

The conservation charity is looking for volunteers’ help with surveying the bird, and even in installing nest boxes.

BirdWatch Ireland said: “In an uncanny echo of our own housing crisis, we have created a housing crisis for swifts, in many cases removing their existing nesting habitat and not providing new space for them to bring the next generation into the world.

During the breeding season, swifts traditionally nested in old growth forest and cliff faces, and there are still some remnant populations nesting in these habitats, but the vast majority have adapted to nest in our buildings.

BirdWatch Ireland said that this strategy probably served them well over millennia.

However, in more recent decades, the standard and frequency of building renovations has significantly increased, often excluding swifts and other cavity nesting birds from their nest sites.

“To make things even more challenging, new-builds tend to be very tightly sealed,” said Tara Adcock, BirdWatch Ireland’s urban birds project officer.

The charity said that the reduction in available nest sites, coupled with declining insect populations and climate change is pushing swifts "to the brink of extinction".

Nests

BirdWatch Ireland estimates that between 1998 and 2023, 69% of swifts disappeared from our skies.

Protecting swift nest sites is one of the most important conservation measures for this species, according to the organisation.To protect these nest sites, “we first need to know where they are," it said.

To this end, BirdWatch Ireland swift surveyors have been working with OPW since 2015, surveying OPW sites for swifts, with 50 surveys carried out to date.

It has also worked with 23 city and county councils since 2017, cataloguing swift nest sites in all survey villages, towns and cities, with 25 surveys carried out to date, including two county resurveys.

Outlook for species

On a wider level, BirdWatch Ireland said “there is hope for the swift, as there are practical solutions to the swift housing crisis”.

“Homes for swifts can literally be built into our buildings using swift bricks (bricks with cavities for nesting swifts, which blend into the fabric of the wall), or they can be provided with nest boxes which are placed on the exterior of the building at appropriate sites.

Government and public bodies have the ability to maintain and build swifts and wider biodiversity into the buildings they manage, a responsibility recognised by Lorcan Scott, OPW’s biodiversity officer.He said: “The relationship between swifts and many of the OPW’s built and cultural heritage properties is well known and understood.

“In more recent years, we have begun to resurvey some key swift sites to see how these sites fare, and to look at opportunities to adapt some of our modern buildings to support swift populations.”

Beyond BirdWatch Ireland, the OPW, and several councils, there are a variety of other groups and individuals working to reverse the plight of the swift in Ireland.

Those who are aware of nesting swifts, and would like to get involved as a volunteer surveyor, or who would like more information on installing swift nest boxes or bricks, are asked to contact [email protected].