BE A SWIFT BOXER

What?

We're asking everyone who can to put up a swift box (or two!) to provide a new home for these amazing birds. Learn more about swifts below.

Swifts like to nest in the nooks and crannies in the eaves of old buildings. These are either being knoocked down or sealed up during refurbishments. The roofs of new buildings are well sealed and so swifts really do need our help with replacement nesting sites in the form of swift boxes. What could be simpler?

Why?

Swifts, along with house martins and swallows, are massively in decline - by as much as 60% between 1995 and 2015 . The reasons for this could be:

lack of insects - their primary diet (let’s plant more wildflowers!).
effects of climate change on their migration patterns.
loss of nesting sites - this is where we can help.

How?

You'll need a wall at least 4.5-5m high.
The boxes can be mounted under the eaves or on a gable end.
Swift boxes come in many forms depending on their intended location. See below for more details.
Swifts are very clean and won’t make a mess down your walls like house martins. The nest boxes don’t need cleaning out either unless you get other birds nesting in them - which is just as well as they’re so high up!
Swifts like to nest in colonies so if you have the space, mount two or more boxes together.
Playing swift calls loudly, morning and evening on a speaker close by (eg: on a nearby windowsill), also helps to attract swifts to your box. Swift calls are available online as CDs or MP3 downloads, or email us and we can send you some swift call files. It really does work but please be mindful your neighbours!

Where and when?

• Ideally tucked under the eaves or high up on a gable at least 4.5m above the ground on a N, NE or NW facing wall to avoid overheating. (If you’re not comfortable working at height up a ladder, email us for details of someone who is!)

• Clear entry and exit with no trees immediately in front to hide predators.

Swifts usually arrive April - May to nest. Those that have lost their nests will be looking round for a new site for a while after this.

One or two year old swifts arrive in July to do a bit of a reccy for future years - they might roost in a box but won’t nest yet.

They generally leave again for their long flight back to Africa at the end of July/early August.

Email us when you've put up a swift box and we'll record it on our map.

You can also record any inhabited nest box on the national map Swiftmapper - let’s get the Wychwoods on the map!

About Swift Boxes

Swift boxes can be bought ready made or as kits, or you can even build your own. The construction depends on where you're going to install it but the most important thing is that they are weatherproof and durable. Look at the Swift Conservation website for examples and for lots more useful information about swifts.

Integral swift bricks are excellent in brick built houses - just remove a brick and pop a swift brick in its place. There’s now a move to get all new built houses to have integral swift bricks.

One of the most popular boxes is the John Stimpson Model 30 which costs around £26 and you can even paint it to match your home. We often have these for sale at our talks. Since retirement and now in his 80's, John has made well over 30,000 of these singlehandedly in his garage in Cambridgeshire and he's a real swift superstar.

AMAZING SWIFT FACTS

They eat, drink, mate and even sleep on the wing.
Each summer they fly from sub-saharan Africa to the Wychwoods (and other places!) to breed, and then fly back again - a round trip of around 14,000 miles.
They mate for life and return to the same nest every year.
They fly at up to 70mph - the fastest bird for level flight.
Young swifts will have been flying non stop for 2-3 years when they finally land to nest for the first time!
They fly around 4 million miles in a lifetime.

Really useful swift websites

Swift Conservation Everything you needed to know about swifts and more, including making your own swift box. https://www.swift-conservation.org

Action for Swifts Lots of information on DIY swift boxes including the Model 30 from John Stimpson, shown in the photo. Literally thousands of these have been made over the years by John himself. They are also available in kit form or as a pattern for DIY enthusiasts. Email: j.stimpson1@btopenworld.com Phone: 01353 740451

Bristol Swifts Interesting information about swifts - even if you don’t live in Bristol.

Swift Mapper Record your swift screaming party sightings and inhabited nest boxes on this fascinating map. Let’s get lots of blue and yellow dots on the map for The Wychwoods!