Swifts of Bethlehem
19. June 2020
In spring 2018 I had the opportunity to make these two iskiographies AIRLINES XVIII-2 and AIRLINES XVIII-3 in Bethlehem. They show the flight tracks of swifts above the separation wall and above the “skyline” of the churches of Bethlehem:
Shortly before, the Nativity Church had been reopened after extensive renovation. For many centuries, countless swifts and other birds nested in numerous cracks and holes in the walls. But all these nesting holes were – to the dismay of bird conservationists – completely sealed off with mortar. In replacement, the project Mahmiyat.ps installed numerous nesting boxes for swifts at a nearby school in 2019 and 2020, which in spring were immediately accepted by the returning birds from Africa. Recently, an information board was set up to inform about this project:
A short video in Arabic with English subtitles provides comprehensive information about this project:
