Locked down Tayside residents have been encouraged to play a part in helping the effort to increase the numbers of far-travelled summer visitors to the region.
The first swifts to have completed a journey thousands of miles from Africa have re-appeared in the region and will raise their young here before heading south again in August.
Swifts eat, drink, sleep and mate while flying, only stopping to nest in small gaps in buildings.
However, swift numbers have dropped by more than 60% in Scotland over the past 25 years, with destruction of their nest sites a key contributor to the decline.
Tayside Swifts project officer Daniele Muir said: ‘We need to know where swifts are nesting so we can work with local authority planners to create swift priority zones to help protect nests and recommend good locations for nestboxes.
“We are asking people to let us know where they see parties of screaming swifts zooming around buildings as it’s likely they are nesting close by, as well as if they see swifts zip into their nest sites.
“We are running an on-line survey on the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership website at www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk
"It’s very simple and can be done from the house, garden or while out taking your daily exercise.”
