Creating Swift nest places in various
building types
You can create nest places for Swifts easily and cheaply in both existing and new buildings. The Swifts should find the places sooner or later (they have
found places to nest in our buildings ever since the Romans came here) but chances of success are greatly enhanced if there are
low-flying screaming Swifts already in the vicinity.
Click on the numbered sections below to access the text:
1 Houses
Swifts may be in your house already, and here are some typical places they like to nest in. They are opportunistic nesters, any hole leading to a flat or
almost flat space will do for them.
Repairs and maintenance may mean that the existing Swift nest places are lost or imperilled. Here are some ways that alternative and hygienic nest
places can be fitted, or existing ones co-ordinated with the other occupiers' needs.
2 Offices and Apartment Buildings
Modern buildings are usually sealed against ingress by birds, but can be easily modified before or after building to accept Swift nestplaces. Here is an
example where proprietary concrete Swift nestbricks and multiple nestboxes have been fitted to a modern office block. They should not have any adverse
effect on the building's performance.
3 Old Commercial Buildings
Old commercial buildings often house Swifts, but the birds usually lose their nest places when refurbishment or conversion takes place. Yet modest
low-cost steps taken at design stage can ensure that the birds continue to have homes, and live on to enhance the quality of life for the new occupiers.
4 New Warehouses and Factories
New warehouses and factories, even those made from steel frames with metal cladding, can offer very good opportunities for creating Swift colonies.
Usually all that is needed is minor redesign of the eaves, or else the application of ready-made nestboxes to high end walls.
5
Multi-Storey Car Parks
Another strategy is to set up Swift nest boxes on multi-storey
car parks, placing nestboxes on the upper levels out
of the sun and away from human interference. You don't
need many nest places to start a good sized colony.
With the example shown below just 4 boxes will house
16 Swifts, the basis for an excellent colony and a major
contributor to local biodiversity.
6 Church Towers and Spires
These are typical places for Swifts to nest in, and in many cases they will have been there for hundreds of years. But intolerance or ignorance has
unfortunately led to the exclusion of birds from many such sites. There is no need for this. Swifts add tremendous vivacity and excitement to the historic
environment, and nest places can be established just for them, easily excluding pest species such as pigeons.
7 Chimneys & Towers
On sites where there may be objections to having Swifts nesting
in or on houses or buildings, one alternative strategy is to set up Swift nest boxes on Chimneys and
Towers, concentrating the nests in a safe, undisturbed location. Swift Chimneys & Towers need to be more than 5 metres high, with clear local
airspace. They can be erected either on their own, or else as part of a utility building, such as an electricty sub-station, pump house or district heating
plant. See below for ideas how to use these structures and put up the Swift nest boxes.
8
Safety & Legal Notes
Keep yourself, others and the Swifts safe! Before making, siting, maintaining or checking Swift nest-boxes ensure you have properly
assessed the risks, and taken all sensible
precautions to avoid accidents to yourself and others, and to prevent any disturbance to the birds. When using tools and access equipment observe all
safety guidance. When siting nest-boxes ensure that predators, (squirrels, rats, cats, rats, magpies and crows), cannot gain access.
Building Regulations etc. You will need to satisfy yourself before installation that the relevant Building Regulations, Bye-laws, Planning Laws, Listed
Building Consents and leases etc. are being observed, that your site is suitable, and installation will not adversely affect the building. We believe that with some
imagination and ingenuity, Swifts can usually be accommodated without difficulty.
9
Nest Place Supplier Links
How to install
Swift Nest Places
Find nest box and nest brick suppliers
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