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Swifts get
help from Boris and the GLA: You can help too!
Excellent
news! Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, is joining our
sister organisation London's Swifts and
the RSPB in calling for
Londoners to help count Swifts this summer.
UK
wide, numbers of Swifts
halved between 1994 and 2007 and one of the reasons is a lack of nest sites. London's
Swifts has the support of the Mayor and the RSPB and
is asking
you to look
out for Swifts in your neighbourhood and fill in a survey. This is
vital if we are to know how many are left
in London.
Swifts can be seen and heard circling overhead of an evening, usually in pairs or
small groups, making their unique calls, a high-pitched "Screee-eee!".
These fast moving, sickle-shaped birds arrive in London
in the last days of April and should remain
until August.
Boris Johnson
says: "We can all play a part in boosting the chances of survival of these
fabulous city birds simply by helping to garner information about them. So,
when you are at home of an evening, look out for them sweeping past your window
and take part in this survey. Let's make sure these fantastic aerial acrobats
remain a common sight over the capital."
As
part of this initiative, 20 Swift nestboxes will be installed on
Metropolitan Police Service buildings in the coming months. The Mayor is
working with the LDA, MPA, TfL and LFEPA to look at
ways to provide more nestboxes on public buildings. In addition, the Mayor's draft London Plan and
supplementary Planning Guidance for sustainable design and construction include
policies promoting biodiversity and the incorporation of nesting and roosting
structures into buildings.
 Click on the logo
to add
your sightings to the
RSPB's Swift Nest Site Survey
Neat
and New! Swift nestboxes for traditional house eaves
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Roland
Giddy has just converted his eaves to house
4 pairs of nesting Swifts - he used a scaffold to access the eaves, and
boxed them in with integral
nesting
platforms (see right).
Above
right - the result - a neat and sound home
for the Swifts, fitting in nicely with the
eaves detail.
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This sort of conversion to
provide nest places for Swifts replaces
others lost
during re-roofing. It's low-tech,
low-cost, easy, long lasting and effective.
If eveyone did this when they renovated
their house then Swifts wouldn't have lost
half their UK population in the past 20
years.
If Swifts do move in, then
Roland will convert the remaining eaves
spaces to host more.
Photos
© Roland Giddy
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Bad
News, Good News...
In
Algeciras in Southern Spain a big problem for Swifts
blew up recently. Over winter, a major colony for Pallid
Swifts (a Red Data listed bird) in a dock-side building
was blocked up to stop them nesting. It had been decided
to install a helicopter landing pad nearby, and the
birds were seen as a potential safety hazard. This despite
evidence that birds very rarely cause problems to helicopters
(which are so noisy and have such a strong
downwash effect that they usually scare or physically
drive birds off before they can make contact).
Following
our protests, it have been told that full assessments
were made before the nest blocking was undertaken, but
it is unclear whether these identified the birds as
threatened Pallid Swifts, or assumed they
were feral pigeons, as appears likely from the recommendations
that resulted. What was not realised was that the blocking
action would make the air safety issue worse, as the
Swifts would then circle the building all day long trying
to get into their nests.
It is
with great relief that we have been informed by the
Spanish authorities that instructions have now been
given to remove the blocking material from the nest
sites.
 Good
news from Belfast in Northern Ireland, where a huge
Swift colony in the beautiful 19th Century Crescent
Arts Centre has been saved by Peter Cush
of NIEA, with advice from Swift Conservation. Not only have all
the old Swift nest places in the eaves been retained,
but lots of new ones have been built into the new extension.
Left - The
Crescent Arts Centre: Photo © Edward Mayer
More
good news! This time from Fulbourn in Cambridgeshire
where Rob Mungovan, Ecology Officer
for South Cambridgeshire District
Council, has had success with
the 75 internal Swift nest boxes that Swift Conservation
designed, with KIER developer's designers, for installation
in the new houses. These replaced the old homes
which for many years had Swifts nesting in them, and
provided the Swifts with new nest places to move to.
Two nest boxes have been visited by Swifts already.
Find out more; download Rob's article here 
New
Swift Colonies set up in M'dina, Malta
| Following
a cessation of the infamous Spring
Shooting Season in Malta in 2009 (it has been reinstated
this year) Swifts bred in M'dina.
Mario Gauci discovered their nest, (below).
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A
Swift flies over M'dina, Malta - not normally
the
best place to be a wild bird!
Photos
© Mario V Gauci
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Determined
to assist Swifts, Mario started a nest place
project - a series of Swift nestboxes fitted
into old ventilators on a building facade.
As you can see, the Swifts are already interested!
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Good
DIY Nest Boxes can work year after year
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Photos
© Kirsty Johns
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When
Kirsty Johns moved into her new home in
the Brecon Beacons she found some odd looking
boxes on the walls of the gable end. Good
for her, she left them in place and was
rewarded the next year with the sight of
baby Swifts peering out of the entrance
holes, getting their first glimpses of their
new world!
Young
Swifts spend a lot of time "sky gazing",
watching the skies and their surroundings,
getting ready for the big day when they
launch themselves on their non-stop flight
to Africa. With any luck they will return and
breed, maybe in their second or third year.
Some
Swift pairs make a practice nest the first
year that they breed, and just sit in it,
then breed for real, laying eggs and incubating
them, the next year.
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Your
Swift records go to the National Biodiversity Network
The
National Biodiversity Network has just taken on board
the Swift records that you have been submitting to the
RSPB.
 Click on
the logo (left) to visit the NBN. We are
working closely with the RSPB to record all
known Swift nesting sites throughout the UK. A big task, but it's starting to
pay off after two seasons. We do it by asking everyone to spot Swifts, and submit their sightings to
the RSPB, who then digitise the information and pass it to the NBN, which is
aimed at local & national government. As
Swifts nest almost exclusively in buildings, and as they are vanishing fast,
and as the Town Planning system is a major key to their hoped-for survival, we
are delighted this information is now easily available
to Planners and local government staff when making decisions
about the local built environment.
Camden
Council builds for Swifts
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Camden
Council has just installed 10 nest boxes at
their Regent's Park Estate to help reverse the national decline in Swift populations.
They say
"One of the reasons for the decline is modern construction practices which
render once-accessible nesting sites under roof eaves inaccessible. The installation of Swift nesting boxes in high-rise buildings is seen as one
way to counter-act this problem, providing suitable nesting sites for this
fascinating bird. In Camden, local surveys have established the Regent’s Park area as a
population stronghold. Using the opportunity we combined our high-rise
insulation programme on the estate with the installation of these specially
designed brick-boxes."
Camden tell us that more installations are planned
throughout the Borough. This is splendid news and we
hope this project will be a trend-setter throughout
the UK and in the EU too. Click here
to visit their web site for more details.
Photo
© London Borough of Camden
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We
find more Swift Houses in Italy
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Margaret
Jarvis, who lives in Grottamare, Italy, spotted
Swifts around a house by the railway
tracks. Here is what she saw! Some
brilliant person adapted this building
for Swifts. We know of lots of Swift
Towers in North East Italy, but this
is the first such site we have seen
in the Appennines. Are there more? Find
out and tell us!
Photos ©
M Jarvis
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Help
us Survey Swifts with the RSPB 
Click here to take
part!
Together
with other Swift enthusiasts we are working with the
RSPB to organise a continuing survey of Swift nest places
throughout the UK. If you are aware of Swifts in your
area, then do please log their activity on the RSPB
site. Sightings of low-level screaming flights are what
is required; these are indicative of nesting nearby.
Of course, if you can spot activity at the nest (best
seen just before dusk) or hear the birds screaming from
within the nest in response to others screaming outside,
then you are doing very well indeed!
Swifts
go "Amber" as UK population crashes
Nature
conservation organisations in the UK last year put the Swift
on the "Amber" list of birds at risk, in recognition
of the population having almost halved over the past
fifteen years. While Amber status alone will not provide
a remedy for the decline, it will bring institutional
and political attention to the Swift's plight, and will
give added credibility to our campaign to ensure that
existing colonies are no longer eliminated quite so
casually by builders and developers. It may also help
to persuade institutions to help Swifts by creating
places for them in new building projects.
Swifts
get new homes in Haddington, East Lothian
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Swift
nestboxes designed by Edward Mayer at London's
Swifts go up on John Muir House at East
Lothian Council, in Haddington. This is
an initiative of Sustainable Haddington
and East Lothian Council, helped with funding
from the Konrad Zweig Trust.
Thanks
go to Don Abbott who manufactured the
boxes, and East Lothian Council's Property
Department who put them up.
The Swift is an Urban Priority Species under East Lothian's
Biodiversity Action Plan, and Sustainable Haddington and the Council
are planning a summer survey to check numbers, which have fallen drastically
in Scotland in recent years.
Photos © Abbie
Marland
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More
information from Abbie Marland at
Sustainable
Haddington
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Swifts
get more new homes in Northern Ireland
The
new Municipal Library in Antrim built this year has
been fitted with Ibstock Swift Bricks - the result of
excellent co-operation between the Librarian, Mark Smyth
of the Northern Ireland Swift group and local enthusiasts.
The generous and handsome installation ensures the survival
of a good sized colony of Swifts, a bird that previously
flourished in the area, due in part to the presence
of the Lough Neagh Fly, an insect that breeds copiously in
fresh water.
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On
the left is the wall with the Ibstock Swift
nest Bricks inserted in the upper areas,
enlarged and more visible in the photo on
the right.
Ibstock Swift Bricks are
made in the UK from recycled materials and clay, in avariety of sizes and colours,
and can be integrated with several brick
sizes.
You can buy them via our
"Shopping!" page.
Photos ©
Mark Smyth
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Swift
enthusiasts Norman Watterson and Adrian McElhone have been working
on a new Swift nestbox scheme at a modern industrial
building on the shores of fly-rich Lough Neagh, in Northern
Ireland. Swifts gather from miles around to feast on
the Lough Neagh flies. The new one-piece nest box has 12 separate compartments
for the Swifts; their food supply can be seen waiting
for them!
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On
the left you can see the 12 place nest box
before it was fitted to the roof edge of
the Ballyronan Marina facilities building (right).
The
myriad black specks visible are the famous
Lough Neagh flies, which hatch from the
waters to provide food for thousands of
Swifts.
It
is believed that Swifts fly in from as far
away as Scotland to feed on this amazing
resource.
Photos ©
Mark Smyth
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Ideal
Homes for Swifts in East Dulwich, London
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This
Victorian terraced house has been ingeniously renovated
to provide excellent accommodation for Swifts. The
arrow points to one of eleven Swift nest access holes,
built in to the under-eaves brickwork. This
is the creation of George Mavrias, who as you can imagine,
is keen on keeping Swifts flying over his home! It goes
to show that where there's a will there's a way, and
Swift nestplaces can be created and sustained in nearly
all types of buildings.
Photos ©
George Mavrias
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New
Swift & Alpine Swifts Project in Barcelona
 At
the request of SEO Birdlife Catalunya, we have been
working with Alpine Swift experts in Germany, Italy
and Switzerland, to provide help and advice to our Catalan
colleagues. Their idea was to use this new bridge being
built over the Llobregat River near Barcelona as a site
for Swift and Alpine Swift nestplaces. Together we assessed
the opportunities and have come up with plans and guidance
on how to achieve this aim. The site is ideal; we have
seen just this sort of bridge used as a nesting place
by Crag Martins in Sicily, in a similar semi-rural environment
and we think Swifts should like it too. If you
are in Barcelona do not miss the Delta
del Llobregat Reserve.
It is adjacent to the the airport and is well worth
a visit! Photo ©
SEO Birdlife Catalunya
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New Cavendish Street, London W1, gets Swift, Bird & Bat Boxes
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Bat
"tubes" & a bird box inset
into the wall
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Triple
Swift nest box inside the plant room
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Plant
room exterior with 6 bat tubes visible
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Swift,
Pipistrelle Bat and Black Redstart / Wagtail nest places
have been installed in the walls of roof top plant rooms
high above Oxford Circus in Central London! The contractors,
Faithdean plc, required a multi-species solution to
improve biodiversity at this site to meet a Planning
Requirement. Swift Conservation was asked to advise,
and as a result five key urban species, all know to be present in or near the
area, were selected
for assistance; Swift, Pipistrelle Bat, Grey and Pied Wagtails,
and Black Redstarts. By providing shelter plus food
resources on an adjacent "green roof" it is
hoped these species will move in and thrive. Photos ©
Edward Mayer - Swift Conservation
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Swift Pole Colonies
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We
know Swifts will exploit motorway lights
for nestplaces, if they can gain access to make their nests inside. Dick Newell of the Ely Swifts Group is working
on several schemes for Swift Colonies on poles and towers. Dick's idea, inspired by similar
German House Martin pole-mounted colonies, is to produce
a simple all-in-one colony ideal for nature reserves
and industrial sites.
If you would like more information
or to sponsor the erection of such a colony, which can
fit onto the poles used for mobile phone masts,
as well as those used for goods yard, industrial estate
and motorway lights, or even on tall chimneys, see our
new feature - click on the Swift! 
Drawing
© Dick Newell
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The
very cold Spring this year means Swifts
starve on migration
 This photograph
of a Swift sheltering on a windowsill high above the
French town of Grenoble was taken by Jake Campbell
on May 28th 2007, when the weather across parts of Europe
was very cold and wet. The worst UK summer for 50 years
meant that Swifts struggled
to raise their chicks, as their flying insect food supply
failed and they had to travel extra distances to
where food might be available. Swifts raised only half the number of chicks in
2007 that they
did in 2006, but in 2008 they seemed to have
done rather better, though there were fewer
adults breeding here. The main cause of Swifts' death
is not predation nor disease nor accidents, but in fact
starvation. 2009 was to prove a poor
year for Swifts, most pairs only raised one chick. So
far 2010 has been worrying; an extremely
cold Spring delayed nesting and egg-laying,
and deprived Swifts of essential food. There
were many reports of starving Swifts being
found grounded in Southern Spain, one place
where they should have been able to feed
up easily on migration, but for the very
cold weather. Photo © Jake
Campbell
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Swifts
get new homes in Guernsey
Local
Swift enthusiast Vic Froome masterminded a project to
convert a wartime observation tower, built on top of
an historic mill, into a multi-storey residence for
Swifts. Using DIY nestboxes, coated with weatherproof
fibre glass, he and his friends have created a superb
site for future generations of Swifts to breed in.
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The fibreglass coated
timber multiple nest boxes are fitted to
the onservation slits in the wartime look
out, high above the countryside at the Vale
Mill, a great place for Swifts as you can
see!
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The
finished fitted box, one of several installed
at this site, together with artificial
House Martin nests.
Photos ©
Vic Froome
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Swift nest
boxes go up at Lambeth Hospital
Photos © Iain Boulton (London
Borough of Lambeth) &
(middle) © Steven
Robinson (SLaM) |
Here
you can see Swift nest
places being fitted to the walls of
the ward blocks at the Lambeth Hospital
and (middle) the result. Fitting
them is easy with the right
equipment.
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Steven
Robinson, a Community Psychiatric Nurse at the Lambeth
Hospital (part of the South London & Maudsley NHS
Trust) was keen to see Swifts breeding there. With the
help of Swift Conservation (who surveyed the site for
nest box positions) the Hospital's estates management
staff and Lambeth Council's Parks & Green Spaces
Team (who funded the project) he achieved his aim; ten
new Schwegler Swift nest boxes installed ready for use
in 2008.
Ibstock
Brick introduces a new UK-made Swift Brick.jpg)
UK Brick Manufacturers Ibstock have introduced a
Swift Brick made from sustainable and recycled materials.
Designed with the help of Graham Roberts, well-known
for his Swift conservation work with the Sussex Ornithological
Society and West Sussex County Council, and available
in three clay colours, it is ideal
for use in both new-build and major restoration projects,
as shown above in Antrim. Photo © Ibstock
Brick
Click
here to find out more about
this Swift Brick and how to obtain it.
Success
for Swift Attraction Calls CD!
Brian
Cahalane of Northern Ireland set up his own Swift colony
 He
used a Swift Calls CD to
attract the birds to a previously unused nesting area.
This is how he did it - you can do it too! Photo © Edward
Mayer
"It is usually relatively easy to attract Swifts
to new nesting boxes by using a calls CD. Play the CD on a CD player
linked to a separate amplifier, use cheap speaker cable and as many speakers
as possible, each one right beside a nest box. I often have twelve speakers
going at once. I bought the cheapest and
smallest speakers you can buy. Play from late April onwards, continuously from dawn to
darkness as loud as you dare, and you will
attract Swifts. But it may take two seasons for them to nest. I have been able to attract Swifts from a half mile away
and more. I conducted a simple experiment using my wife and son
and mobile phones. One was positioned at the house,
the
other a quarter of a mile away, and myself a half mile away.
It's almost a straight line from my house to the centre of the village.
A phone call from myself and the CD was switched on at my house at full volume,
I could hear it in the village. Swifts began to move towards my
house and I could observe them through my binoculars, when they passed my wife she rang me, and when they arrived at the house my son rang me.
I have 24 potential nesting sites and often have as many as ten speakers playing at once,
positioned at ten boxes. I now have a colony established!"
Swift
Conservation supplies a Swift Calls CD using recordings from Ulrich Tigges' Berlin Swift Colony. To
order click on the Swift button below.
Order a Swift Calls CD - click on the Swift!
Click on the Swift
to learn how to use the Swift Calls CD
For further information contact
Swift Conservation
Back to Contents Thank you for your interest - Please help Swifts!
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