Common swifts have inhabited the Western Wall in Jerusalem for approximately two millennia, with researchers documenting at least 88 nests in the ancient stones. These birds undertake a migration of roughly 2,800 miles from East Africa each spring between February and June, and their arrival is marked by a ceremonial welcome. The birds hold religious and cultural significance, referenced in biblical texts and serving as symbols of unity across Jerusalem’s diverse religious communities.
Swift populations face significant challenges in the modern era. Across their European range, numbers have declined by approximately 70% since the mid-1990s, with declines also observed in Israel. The primary threats include the loss of suitable nesting sites due to modern construction techniques such as glass facades and streamlined building designs, reduced insect populations, and climate-related weather changes. These factors force swifts to nest in inadequate spaces, resulting in nestlings falling from their nests before they are ready to fledge.
Amnonn Hahn, a 72-year-old paraglider and chair of the Friends of the Swifts Association in Israel, has dedicated his efforts to addressing this crisis. After witnessing fallen nestlings brought to an Israeli wildlife hospital, Hahn began rescuing birds and fostering them with other swift families. He developed a solution involving custom-built nesting boxes, initially fashioned from ammunition boxes sourced from the Israeli military. Working with city councils and schools across Israel, Hahn has helped install hundreds of these boxes in buildings throughout the country, including 222 nesting boxes at a Tel Aviv kindergarten.
Hahn’s passion for swifts developed during a 1999 paragliding championship when he flew alongside the birds, an experience he describes as transformative. His work continues despite ongoing regional challenges, including recent military activity that displaced some nesting pairs. As urban development threatens to replace residential areas with high-rise buildings in Tel Aviv and elsewhere, Hahn’s nesting boxes represent a critical conservation measure to ensure swifts can continue their centuries-old breeding tradition when they return from their African wintering grounds.
Originally reported by NPR. Read the full story →