Swift Towers & Poles
                            They can be set up almost anywhere!

Swifts used to nest in the massive trees found in ancient forests. Nowadays they will sometimes breed in structures like motorway light gantries, or water towers, if they can find a space in them to make a nest. So why not create a special nest colony for them on top of a pole or a tower? On the left, a concept drawing for a Swift Pole Colony one of several devised by Dick Newell. It can be fitted to a steel lamp post or a tall timber telegraph pole  Drawing © Dick Newell / AfS   On the right, a House Martin tower fitted with many artificial nests, set up on a village green in Germany   Photo © NABU / Deutschland   A brilliant opportunity! On the left, a magnificent early 20th Century water tower in Berlin. This was fitted some years ago with a good number of Swift nest boxes, and for some time the colony did well. In recent years Swifts however have failed to breed there. No one knows why this is so, though they are still present in the sky above the neighbouring apartment blocks. On this tower, for architectural and aesthetic reasons, the nest boxes were bespoke, mounted internally and made from plywood. At less sensitive sites commercial readymade concrete nest boxes may be used with great ease and economy. It is always worth fitting Swift nest boxes to such sites, as they have several important advantages; longevity, security, centralised management, privacy, peace and quiet, good opportunites for observation and CCTV/web cam installation, excellent possibilites for educational activities involving residents and local schoolchildren and of course, good publicity for the utility company involved. Perfect for Swifts! The bleak, landscape of Ashford International Rail Station in Kent. Such places are ideal for establishing Swift colonies as the Swifts will find their food easily over the lush surrounding farmland and ponds of Romney Marsh. The steel lamp posts and pylons used at this site are suitable for conversion to support Swift colonies. The type illustrated below folds down for maintenance, a useful feature removing the need for expensive access equipment when checking the boxes are still sound and fit for purpose. On the right one can see three light arrays, two on posts and one on a pylon. The two taller ones are suitably high for use by Swifts. A pole colony could be fitted to the taller of the two lamp posts (though obviously it could no longer function as a lamp post) while individual Swift nest boxes could very easily be sited on the pylon, together with CD Swift call players, as power is readily available.       The hinge at the base of the lamp post permits easy lowering for maintenance. photos © Edward Mayer / Swift Conservation Minimum height for a Pole or Tower colony is 7 metres, but the higher the better, and safer. Care has to be taken that the site selected is not vulnerable to vandalism. Any concentration of birds may present an attractive target for anti -social behaviour. Nest places should therefore be sited as high as possible and at sites which are either unattractive to vandals or else secure. Industrial estates, electrical switching yards, MOD sites, nuclear and other power stations, hospitals, mobile phone masts, railway sidings, factory towers and chimneys all present good opportunities for siting pole and tower colonies, while social housing estates, brownfield sites, and unsecured sites in general should probably be avoided. Three concept sketches for Swift Pole and Tower Colonies by Dick Newell. Supports are timber, steel tube or brick © Dick Newell N.B. It is essential to have an engineer check the plans for any proposed Swift Tower or Pole for structural soundness well before any work starts. Back to Installing Swift Nest Places                   Consult our Experts!                    Back to Contents