Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The City of Antwerp and Bird Protection Flanders have installed benches at Het Steen, encouraging visitors to spot and enjoy the seasonal flight of swifts.
Additionally, there is an information board.
“We have been able to transform 25 openings in the facade into suitable nesting places”,
says Johan Kempeneers of Apus-team Antwerp, which is responsible for the protection of the swifts.
The quick returns to Antwerp, Belgium, each spring.
“Together with the city, we have set up a project to revive the swift population,”
says Angés Wené, director of Bird Protection Flanders.
One of the rarest and most protected bird species is the swift.
“From the moment they leave the nest, they keep flying. They sleep, eat and mate in the air,”
Kempeneers explains. Their legs are not suited to stay perched somewhere.
“They can’t get to the ground for food or nesting material, but they can’t sit on trees either, so they can’t build a nest,”
he continues.
“This year in particular is an extra difficult season for them. There are a lot of pesticides in the air, which means there are fewer insects.”
Swifts are also losing valuable nesting places in buildings due to increasingly strict building and insulation standards.
Since 2018, the City of Antwerp, Apus team Antwerp, and Bird Protection Flanders have increased nest-building options. However, as a citizen, you may also assist the birds.
“We also install nest boxes in people’s homes,”
says Wené.
“In the meantime, we have already distributed 150 nest boxes to enthusiastic residents.”
“The collaboration with Bird Protection Flanders and Antwerp is going incredibly well,”
says Kempeneers.
“We are busy creating new nests, such as at the Vleeshuis.”
“We will definitely continue with this valuable project,”
Wené emphasizes.
“We would like to see if we can expand it even further in the rest of Flanders.”
Karim Bachar (Vooruit), alderman for Environment and Society, is also enthusiastic.
“It is great that we can work with nature and help in the middle of the city.”
What role does the Apus-team Antwerp play in swift conservation?
By actively preserving and improving swifts’ nesting sites within the city, the Apus-team Antwerp contributes significantly to swift conservation. To help local swift populations, they specifically find and convert appropriate apertures in building façades—like the 25 openings at Het Steen—into secure nesting locations.
In order to ensure swifts have enough places to nest despite the difficulties presented by contemporary structures and renovations, they work in conjunction with local government agencies and conservation groups to maintain and develop habitats within the urban environment.
By installing benches and information boards at Het Steen to encourage people to view and appreciate swifts, the Apus-team Antwerp not only creates nesting locations but also increases public knowledge of swifts and their conservation requirements.
