12/07/2026
Nothing nicer than sitting watching our resident Swifts coming & going from their nest in our roof.
We're lucky in Drumlish that we have a colony of swifts with several nesting pairs taking up residence in some of the older buildings around the village.
Fascinating facts about swifts:
- A swift can remain airborne for up to 10 months continuously without ever touching the ground.
-They sleep while flying by ascending to high altitudes, gliding down, and shutting off half of their brain at a time.
-The swift is the fastest bird in level flight, reaching speeds of up to 111 km/h (nearly 69 mph).Aerial Lifestyle: They drink by skimming the surface of lakes and rivers, and they gather floating nesting materials mid-air.
-The Name Means "No Feet": Their scientific name, Apus, is derived from ancient Greek and means "without feet". Their legs are too weak to walk on the ground or perch normally.
-They feed entirely on airborne insects and spiders, which parents pack into specialized throat pouches to create food balls called boli, sometimes containing up to 1,000 insects each.
- They breed in Europe and Asia including Ireland during the summer and spend their winters in central and southern Africa, flying over 9,600 km (6,000 miles) twice a year.
- Swifts are famous for their high-pitched, echoing "screams," which they use to communicate as they chase each other.
Find out more at https://www.swiftconservation.ie/
