RSPB NI Swifts Surveyor

WHY WE NEED YOU

Every spring, Swifts return to our towns and cities after travelling thousands of miles from Africa where they spend the winter. These small birds with scythe-shaped wings have total mastery of the skies. They feed, drink, mate and sleep whilst flying, only landing to nest and raise chicks.

They prefer to nest in crevices of buildings, but over time the number of suitable places to raise their chicks has drastically decreased. Swifts are in trouble and their distinctive cries that once filled the skies in summer are dwindling.

Help us to take direct action to save these wonderful birds by monitoring their nesting sites and raising awareness within local communities of Northern Ireland.

WHAT TASKS WILL YOU BE DOING

As a field surveyor, you will be helping us to understand how Swifts are doing across key sites in Northern Ireland. You will monitor a swift nesting site over few visits in July to establish how many birds are nesting there. You will also report sightings of birds using SwiftMapper.

If you can spare some time and want to make a difference for swifts in your local community, we’d love to hear from you.

In this role we are especially looking for people who:

• Have enthusiasm for being outdoors
• Can do the survey over couple of mornings or evenings in July
• Have basic bird ID skills
• Can work with own initiative
• Any travel expenses will be provided

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

This is a flexible role, making most of your availability and preferred locations. While some basic knowledge of birds identification is desirable, you will receive all necessary training and gain experience in nest monitoring. You will contribute to raising awareness of swifts, as well as aid the efforts to protect their nesting sites in Northern Ireland. You will be a part of a team of likeminded people, dedicated to nature conservation.