Friends of the Swifts
Preserving existing nesting sites
Installing new nesting cells
Education and Raising awareness
Friends of The Swifts is a non-profit association that started operating in 2007 with the goal of preserving the Swifts population in Israel.
The association is involved in educational projects in elementary schools and kindergartens.
- Preserving of the swifts population in Israel.
- Raising public awareness for this special bird.
- Building a conservation and rehabilitation program for the swifts population in Israel.
- Conducting surveys and mapping the potential nesting sites for the swifts population.
- Designing and installing nests.
- Organizing events and holding conferences.
- At the end of March 2007, the Kibbutzim Seminar college held an annual seminar on environmental education in the school system 2003, on “The city as an environment”.
The seminar brought together academics, policymakers in the local authorities and educators and addressed questions about the city’s impact on the environment and what a quality urban environment is.
Extraordinary unique work in the field was also presented in the meeting.
The “Yes to the Bird – Nest for the swift” project was presented there. - The association is in persistent contact with the Israeli Birding Center of the Society for Nature Protection and with Dr. Yossi Leshem from Tel Aviv University.
- The project was presented on the 28th annual seminar for birding at Tel-Aviv University on 11/12/2008 and received positive echoes.
- The project participated in the “Ford Environmental Grants 2008” program and received a cash prize for activities in Givatayim, 18/12/2008.
- Tel-Aviv University and the Society for Nature Protection defined the project as innovative and invited Amnon Han to lecture on it on the 29th annual seminar on birding held at Tel-Aviv University on December 22, 2008.
The lecture was held in the morning session of the seminar. The 1,200 participants responded enthusiastically to the presentation and videos. - The association works closely with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality.
- The Tel Aviv Conservation Department, headed by architect Yarmi Hoffman, supports the association’s activities, making sure the “White City” conservation work is done while maintaining the nesting sites and helping the association plan and build alternative sites for destroyed nests.
- On January 15, 2009, a “Landscape in the White City and Heritage Sites” conservation conference was held.
Amnon was invited to lecture to the Tel Aviv-Jaffa architects on how to “return the swifts to Tel-Aviv”. - The first cooperation with a commercial corporation is carried out with Discount Bank.
The Beit Schiff conservation building, which is owned by the bank, also preserves the swifts’ nests discovered in the building and even finances the installation of new nests. - In addition, a budget was approved to install advanced surveillance cameras within 2 nests to monitor, document and live broadcast through the entire nesting process. In addition, swifts shirts were also printed.
The prime of the association’s activities was in 2010 season: