Total playing time: 73:18 minutes

Price: EUR 19,95

Order-Nr.
CD-532.940
ISBN 978-3-935329-40-8 (CD)

GIERZWALUW

MARTINET NOIR

Swift
How To Attract Swifts Using Response Calls

Text: Erich Kaiser, Andreas Schulze
Recording: Erich Kaiser

In many places, there is a lack of suitable nesting places for the swift. In general, it has difficulty in finding out new kinds of breeding grounds, and because of that in most cases the nesting boxes haven't been discovered yet by it. With this CD it is possible to lure swifts methodically and successfully get them to breed - playing characteristic response calls to them has in practice proven to be a great success!

The author: Erich Kaiser, born in 1937, beekeeper by profession, has occupied himself with swifts and their protection since the 1960ies. He is the author of various publications on this subject and co-founder of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Mauersegler (German Society for swifts) which is accepted as to be of benefit to the public. He has recorded the response calls on this CD at his home located in the vicinity of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) where he has established a colony of several dozens of breeding couples.

How To Attract Swifts Using Response Calls

From its appearance and its swift, sometimes raging flight the swift (Apus apus) bears a strong resemblance to the swallow but, in fact, there is no close kinship between the two. In contrast to the swallow, the swift has a completely dark plumage except for one bright spot on its throat. It is also larger, averaging 17 cm from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail and with a wingspan of approximately 40 cm. It catches its food entirely on the wing by feeding on insects and small spiders which have been carried by the wind and thermal currents, often to a considerable height.

Swifts prefer to breed in the niches of buildings, high above the ground (in a roof truss, for example). The clutch usually consists of two or three white eggs which the bird lays at two-day intervals, usually in the second half of May. The breeding period is 18 to 25 days (average 19 days) and the nestlings stay in the nest for 38 to 56 days (usually about 42 days) depending on the weather. Swifts prefer to breed, if possible, in colonies of sometimes several dozen couples. Continual rain can cause problems for these animals by preventing them from finding enough food. At such times it has been known for the adult birds to move to another region with better weather conditions, sometimes hundreds of miles away from the breeding ground. In the meantime the young birds settle into a state of "stiffness"; their hearts beat slower and their body temperatures are reduced. The older nestlings can survive for about two weeks under these difficult conditions.

Living conditions for swifts have deteriorated noticeably during the last decades: many breeding grounds have been lost due to the demolition and renovation of old buildings, and new buildings have hardly any quiet corners for the birds. So for a long time conservationists have tried to help swifts by putting up nest boxes. Unfortunately, in most cases nest boxes are not found by the birds, even where they have been put up expertly. Unlike the resourceful starlings and sparrows, swifts are not clever at discovering new breeding grounds.

When the young swift returns to us from Africa for the very first time it is almost one year old and is looking for the chance to join an existing colony of birds. Sometimes it takes several years before it finds an empty space or can win one in a fight, and therefore many birds are three, four or five years old when they first breed. During the morning and evening hours the non-breeders play a kind of flying game: while calling out loud, they circle in groups of usually 10 to 50 birds around a building where other swifts are breeding. The breeders respond with their so-called response calls. Long-term research in Germany and the Netherlands has shown that it is possible to establish new swift colonies by playing recordings of response calls. Non-breeders will be attracted to nest boxes which may not have been used for many years while the breeding birds will not respond since they are already in possession of a breeding ground of their own.

By using this CD you will have the chance to attract swifts to your nest boxes and establish new breeding colonies. In doing so, please bear in mind the following advice.

Nest boxes for swifts should only be attached to buildings and should be positioned high above the ground - at a height of six or seven metres, if possible. No trees should obstruct the flight path. Only attach a box to the south side of a building if there is a roof overhang or a balcony to protect the box from the sun; otherwise any direction is suitable. Nest boxes can also be attached to window sills (the windows can still be opened as usual). There is little point putting up nest boxes in small towns where there are no swifts already nesting because non-breeders will not pass within earshot.

Swifts return from their winter accommodation at the end of April or the beginning of May and usually leave again at the end of July or the beginning of August. The best time to play the response calls is between the beginning of May and the beginning of June. However, it makes perfect sense to play the response calls throughout the entire months of May, June and July: when non-breeders become aware of a nest box in the middle of July, for example, it is too late for them to nest right away but they will remember the place for next spring!

The total playing time of this CD is 73 minutes. By using the repeat function found on most CD players it can be prolonged for as long as you wish. It is best to play the response calls in good weather and especially between six and eight o'clock in the morning and between eight and nine-thirty in the evening (European summer time). It is important that there is not too much distance between the sound source and the nest box. You are likely to get the best results if the loudspeaker is attached to, or inside, the nest box. Small, inexpensive loudspeakers and extension leads that fit any CD player are available at specialist shops. If you don't already own a CD player, a small and handy portable player is inexpensive and ideal for this purpose.

The CD should always be played at full volume so that even swifts passing at a distance can be made aware of the nest box. Once swifts have established themselves and have begun to build their nest, you can stop playing the calls and remove the loudspeakers - unless, that is, you want to lure even more couples, in which case you must put up more nest boxes in time, and no later that when the first box has been occupied because swifts are gregarious animals. There is no need for a minimum distance between boxes; they can be placed side by side or above each other.