Ballydehob Tidy Towns would like to invite everyone to a Swift Watch, guided by Damaris
Lysaght and Ian Hardy from the Ballydehob Swift Group. We will meet on Thursday, July 23
at 8:30 PM at the back of the Bank House, Ballydehob. Everyone is very welcome. If you
have a pair of binoculars, bring them and maybe some midge repellent as well!
The swift is on the Red List of birds of conservation concern in Ireland because its population has
declined by a massive 69% between 1998 and 2023. Conservation actions across the island are
helping to recover populations.
They arrive in Ireland from Sub-Saharan Africa from late April through May and leave from the end
of July onwards. The few months they spend here are extremely important because they come
here to breed. Once they have found a place to nest, they will return to it every year for the rest of
their lives. In Ballydehob, we have 8 nesting pairs of swifts. They are a fascinating species and very
different in many ways from all other birds.
Nest box projects, especially built in nest boxes, can provide safe long-term homes for new
breeding pairs of swifts.