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Swift Conservation: a once common bird being brought back
Swift Conservation Ireland is a volunteer led initiative working on the conservation of the swift in Ireland. The project began with Lynda Huxley. Her interest in swifts began while working at ATU Mayo campus in Castlebar, where there is an established colony of the birds. She began recording numbers and studying nest sites on campus in the summer months, and noticed that fewer birds returning each year. She decided to set up a nest box project to provide secure breeding sites to help conserve – and then grow – their numbers
Where?
Began in Castlebar, Mayo, but now all over Ireland
Who started this action?
Lynda Huxley
Some quick facts about the project
- Lynda spotted a problem with swift numbers in her local area getting less and less
- She turned worry into action by organising a full survey of the birds in Mayo
- She then set up nest boxes specially made for swifts giving them secure nest sites.
- She collaborated with Atlantic Technological University Mayo (ATU Mayo) to install nest box cameras to record and livestreamwhere you show footage from a live camera on the internet breeding behaviour.
- The livestreaming has raised awareness of the birds.
- The recording provided dataa collection of facts about something for Ireland’s first Masters degree research on breeding behaviour of Swifts
- This work was successful with swift numbers increasing in Mayo
- The work in Mayo is now spread around the country.
- There is now a network of people interested in Swifts and working on their conservation.
Highlights Click toggle ⊕ to see these
- In Ireland alone the Swift population has declined by over 40% in the past 30 years.
- Swifts are urban birds with their nest sites being mostly located in our towns and villages.
- The main reason for their population decline is loss of nest sites when old buildings in our towns and villages are renovated or demolished.
- Lynda Huxley learned of the problems these birds were facing, and decided to start setting up nest boxes across towns in County Mayo to recover the population.
- In 2014 she organised a team of volunteers to carry out a nest site survey across Co. Mayo. This was the first such survey in Ireland, establishing a specific survey model and methodology that could be replicated in every county.
- In collaboration with the community and state bodies she co-ordinated a campaign of nest box projects across Co. Mayo – both externally mounted to walls or built-into walls of new buildings.
- Since 2012 over 400 nest boxes have been provided county-wide and this number will continue to grow as new projects are established each year.
- In 2024, she led a follow-up County survey to see how many nest boxes were being used. The results showed a 30% increase in the breeding population since 2012, thanks to the nest box projects.
- The survey also found that Swifts really like the built-in nest boxes, which provide the most secure, long-term nesting sites.
- The recovery shows that if nest boxes are put up across the country, then swift numbers will recover over time.
- They have now set up a website where people can share information about protecting and bringing back the swift.
Why this matters
The Swift is on the red list of birds of conservationprotecting nature and keeping it as it is concern in Ireland, with its population declining a great deal in recent years. This decline is mainly due to the loss of nesting sites where they can rear their young. They come here to raise their young – here is Home. Providing secure, long-term nest sites where they can breed in Ireland is key to recovering the national and global population. They travel to Africa for the rest of the year to feed but they do not breed there. They feed entirely on airborne insects such as midges and hoverflies, so maintaining a healthy insect population – by significantly reducing the use of pesticide use – is vital. But Lynda was able to turn her own worries into a far reaching national project of conservation: spreading and sharing knowledge, and making a real impact.
SDG Alignment & Keywords Click toggle ⊕ to see these
- SDG 15: Life on land
Keywords: Biodiversity loss, Climate Change, Mayo.
Find Out More about the project
Swift Conservation Ireland started when Lynda saw a problem with the numbers of the birds in her local area. Often we just need to look around us to see the opportunity for sustainability work. Carol and the people in Mulranny Mayo did something very similar. Listen to our podcast to hear the full story and learn how you could do the same
Use what's in your community to develop it sustainably
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