Swifts are slightly unwelcome at the Alhambra, it seems. I’d have thought that they had been rubbing along with the fantastic Moorish architecture for a good few centuries but it appears as though tolerance is running out.
There are still these lions though…
…and loads and loads of House Sparrows.
On the Gran Via on Tuesday I watched scores of swifts apparently trying to reach nesting cavities that have been netted off – it was a sad sight. But yesterday, as I passed the same spot at more or less the same time, and in the same weather (scorchio), there were no swifts acting as though they had been dispossessed and hundreds flying above the city centre.
But of course, the real dilemma is distinguishing between Pallid Swifts and Common Swifts as they whizz past overhead. In theory it’s easy, but it’s not that easy, but it is quite relaxing, I find.
[registration_form]
Yeah because thousands of tourists, polluted air and acidic rain have had no effect at all on plasterwork, idiots
I don’t think it is quite fair to suggest that swifts are unwelcome in the Alhambra. As far as I can ascertain the authorities responsible for the Alhambra are keen for swifts to remain in the complex and are endeavouring to move the colony away from the most sensitive areas not to simply destroy it. It is true that swifts and moorish architecture have been rubbing along together happily for centuries but it is at least conceivable that the ravages of time have caused the architecture to arrive at a state of fragility such that the birds could contribute to significant damage if steps are not taken to prevent it.
Swifts are amongst my favourite birds and in the normal course of things I would be very opposed to anyone seeking to prevent swifts nesting in a location where they have traditionally nested for many years previously, but I also recognize that the Alhambra is a cultural site of extraordinary importance which also merits vigorous efforts to conserve it. If the presence of the swifts is deemed incompatible with the well being of part of the buildings (and I am in no position to question the validity of the Alhambra’s conservators’ view on that point) then something has to give and it seems to me that the relocation of the colony is justified under such circumstances. It would appear that it is not being done in a gung-ho manner but with due care and attention and genuine effort to ensure that the swifts continue to nest in the vicinity.
Of course, air pollution, including possibly acid rain, may be significant factors threatening the Alhambra but this does not mean that the swifts are not also having a harmful impact on the plaster-work in the Court of Myrtles. Equally, taking steps to address the damage due to birds does not in any way preclude also taking steps to reduce air pollution or mitigate its effects.
There are endless cases around the world where birds and other wildlife are simply swept out of the way without a thought, for nothing more than the convenience or commercial gain of the perpetrators. In the case of the swifts in the Alhambra though, the work is being done with the objective of protecting one of the world’s great cultural heritage sites and apparently in a way that seeks to encourage the swifts to continue nesting nearby and rather than simply condemning them out of hand as idiots I would at least give the Alhambra authorities the benefit of the doubt unless someone can provide convincing evidence that the work is unnecessary or that it will adversely affect swift populations in Andalusia.