New Derry environmental initiative aiming to preserve rare bird launched

An exciting new environmental initiative operating in the Culmore area that aims to preserve the habitat of one of the UK’s rarest birds, has been launched.

Members of Culmore Wildlife Club and Culmore Community Partnership launched their ‘Swift Project’ last month, with the installation of special bird boxes underpinning this important conservation work.

A new audio system that projects the call of a Swift through a speaker has also been put in place in the hope that this can attract new birds to Culmore Point and the immediate area in the coming weeks.

Antrim-based energy supplier firmus, and their main contractor Kier Group, co-ordinated the delivery of a cherry picker so that the boxes and speaker could be erected safely and quickly.

Three nesting boxes were fitted to Culmore Community Hub and seven on houses within 400 metres of the building.Chantal Hemphill – firmus energy’s Environment, Health, and Safety Manager said: “We realise the importance of projects like this which help attract and increase the swift population in Derry whilst enhancing local biodiversity. We would like to congratulate all those people who have played their part in making this possible.”

She added: “When we were approached by Culmore Wildlife Club and asked if we could gift a safe working at height platform along with trained staff to help with the installation of nesting boxes, we were only too happy to oblige.”

Swifts are specialist flyers identifiable by their dark underside, proportionately longer wings and screaming call who spend most of their time aloft and return to the same site.

Since 2007, Northern Ireland’s Swift population has dropped considerably and as a result, they are now officially Red Listed, with many experts apportioning blame on a loss of suitable habitat – something the ‘Swift Project’ aims to redress locally.

Culmore Wildlife Club’s Joe Doherty said: “The aim of the ‘Swift Project’ is to attract the Swift bird – a magnificent summer migrant that once thrived in Derry-Londonderry and right across Northern Ireland. Sadly, it has seen a decline of 50 per cent of their numbers in the past 20 years; this is mostly due to new building techniques, and modernisation of buildings, that removes potential nesting sites.”

Culmore Community Partnership manager Una Cooper said: “We are delighted to support Culmore Wildlife Group’s endeavour to encourage Swifts to nest at Culmore Point. We will also be installing a wildlife camera in one of the Swift boxes to allow us to monitor the birds, and our Youth Club members are looking forward to seeing the images of the nesting birds and hopefully seeing a baby Swift hatch.”

PICTURED ABOVE: Pictured with some of the specially made Swift nesting boxes are Joe Doherty from Culmore Wildlife Club, firmus engineer John McCorry, Culmore Community Hub representative Lynne Gillespie and firmus energy advisor David Ramsey.