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Keep these birds in Edinburgh |
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Friday, 14 July 2006 |
Act swiftly and keep these birds in Edinburgh THEY are among Scotland's fastest birds, renowned for their swooping and diving aerobatic displays. But swifts have been on the decline in the Capital in recent years and now council officials are calling on residents to join in the fight to save the eye-catching birds.
A public survey has been launched to establish exactly where their nests are located in Edinburgh during the summer months.
The swifts' locations are to be put on to an interactive map, which will alert city planners if alterations or a new development is planned nearby.
Andrew Sandeman, of the Scottish Ornithologists Club, which is co-ordinating the survey in partnership with Edinburgh City Council, said: "We know the population of swifts in Edinburgh is declining from anecdotal evidence, but we need to know exactly how many of them there are left and where they nest.
"There used to be plenty of places for them to nest in old buildings in the city, but renovations have meant that cracks and crevices have been filled in."
It is believed the swift population has fallen around 60 per cent nationwide over the past decade.
Information provided by members of the public will allow conservationists to ensure that areas where swifts tend to nest are looked after and made as swift-friendly as possible.
Last year, guidelines were drawn for builders to develop designs that would encourage swifts to nest, such as concrete blocks inserted into a wall which provide a perfect nesting area for the birds, or creating an open access eave, which allows the birds to nest in small ceiling alcoves.
It is believed that certain areas of the city, including Gracemount and Craigmillar, play host to the migrating birds, but their exact nesting locations are not known.
Mr Sandeman added: "People need to concentrate on areas they see every day, as swifts tend to come and go and do not stay put for the whole two months. If people see that the birds are veering towards the roof of the buildings or drop down, they are probably nesting there."
The council's biodiversity officer Caroline Peacock said: "It is essential that we take measures to help this special bird, whose antics, looping over the rooftops catching insects, are one of the highlights of summer in Edinburgh. Swift numbers have declined in Scotland by 62 per cent in the last decade and the loss of nesting spaces, as old buildings have been renovated, is thought to be a key factor."
Swifts arrive in the Capital in early July and leave in August for Central Africa.
To report swift nesting areas, phone Caroline Peacock on 0131-469 3920. |
Bird News 