Swifts back at the school

As you know, we have six swift nest boxes at the Rosmore end of the school, and swifts have been nesting there for the past three years. They usually arrive in late May, lay their eggs, and, thanks to cameras installed in two of the boxes, we have the privilege of watching the new chicks being incubated and then hatching in June, just before the end of the school year.

To encourage the swifts to make their homes here, we have a recording of swift sounds located above the boxes, which we switch on at the start of May. This tells passing swifts that here is a good place to build a nest.

The honour of switching on the sound this year fell to principal Eóin Browne, eagerly supervised by the children of 1st Class. The sounds were switched on on Tuesday 2nd May, and within two hours, a pair of swifts had arrived to start the nesting process!

We look forward to seeing the eggs being laid, incubated and then hatch over the next two months.

(with thanks to Lynda Huxley of Swift Conservation Ireland who provided the boxes and cameras, and to Ronan Moran of Moran Electrical who installed the sound box)