Swift Nest
Sites
Access
in existing buildings
In the 1980s new building regulations came into
force that required that the roof space of all new buildings should be
ventilated to prevend excessive condensation. To permit air to enver
the roof space, a gap of not less than 25mm was left between the face
of the brickwork and the soffit or fascia board. To prevent birds or
insects from entering, stainless seel mesh or slotted plastic mesh
strip was fixed across this gap. Buildings that were re-roofed or
renovated also required roof ventilation. It was obvious that swifts
were under threat, as the intention of the mesh was to insure that
nothing could have access.
It is a simple matter to allow swifts access to
the area from the face of the brickwork to the facscia board by moving
the mesh and fixing it about the wall plate. This will mean that were
several birds are present in a building, their nesting ledges can be
protected very easily and cheaply. Individual nestboxes that are placed
on the brickwork can be used where few birds are present.
In 2001, new breather membranes were introduced to
replace the old bitumen-based roofing felt. This means that no 25mm gap
needs to be left under the eaves. In this case, it is necessary to make
small holes in the soffit to enable swifts to access their nesting
ledges. The slots should be as close to the wall as possible measuring
25-35mm deep by 60-70mm long, and at approx one metre intervals. It is
also possible to provide nestboxes to lay on the brick wall in the
boxed eaves. If nestboxes are used, it is advisable to place them away
from windows. The foregoing relates to properties of the solid brick
type:
With the coming of cavity walls, the space between
the inner brick and outer brick skins, plus the cavity itself, has
greatly increased the space available for nesting swifts. Once again,
access slots may be required, and by using the front of the inner skin
of brickwork to the front of the outside wall, the entire length of the
building can be made accessible to swifts.
For further information, see the Domestic Properties leaflet,
and get in touch with Bill
Murrells.
Success
of nestboxing
There is copious evidence from the Continent,
specially from Germany and the Low Countries that nestboxing is a
successful means of saving and/or extending swift colonies. See Links section for links to
international websites.
In Britain, the best known example is the longterm
study of the swift colony in the tower of the Oxford University Museum.
Visit the Oxford
Museum website. A number of individuals are also carrying out
longterm studies at their swift colonies, including AfS members Graham
Roberts and Steve Keightley; click
here to check out their website.
Please let us know of YOUR swift project, and We
will be happy to post details to our Links section. In general we need
much more systematic evidence for the success of nestboxing schemes
both large and small. We therefore urge anyone who puts up nestboxes,
whether a single one on a private house, or a series on a large
building, to keep a record of use and to submit their records to AfS.
For advice on this, get in touch with your nearest AfS member or email us direct.
Suppliers
of swift nestboxes
Jacobi Jayne
Ttel: 01227 714311
Email enquiries@jacobijayne.com
Website: www.jacobijayne.com
Jamie wood Products, tel: 01323 727291; email:
sales@birdtables.com; website: www.birdtables.com
CJ Wildbird Foods, tel: 0800731 2820; email:
martin.george@birdfood.co.uk; website: www.birdfood.co.uk
(Please mention Action fo rSwifts if you get in touch with any of these
suppliers)
|
Nestboxing
On new buildings or where it is not possible on
existing buildings to provide access to the usual nesting ledge on the
top of the wall, nestboxes provide an alternative. There are many
different designs to fit different situations as the following picture
demonstrates:
The simplest is the simple "shoebox" which fits
under the eaves, or, with slight adaptation, on the top of the wall
with the access slot exposed at the back of the soffit or fascia board.
Designs for these can be found in the BTO Guide 23 "Nestboxing by Chris
du Feu [hyperlink to BTO website]
Where there is an aesthetic consideration, boxes
made from woodcrete such as those supplied by Jacobi Jayne are ideal as
they can be painted to harmonise with the decor of the building.
Specialist nestboxes for use in particular
situations include brick nestboxes, tile nestboxes and louvre nestboxes.
Brick
nestboxes are designed to be incorporated
into new commercial buildings, as this Dutch photograph illustrates
Tile
nestboxes, specially-adapted tiles with an
integral nest cavity, have been used successfully in the Netherlands,
but experiments with similar boxes in the UK have been disappointing,
probably because relatively few of our roofs are double-pitched, with
the lower slope being almost vertical.
Louvre
nestboxes are specially designed to fit
between the slate or wooden louvres in church towers in such a way that
the swifts have a nesting site without access to the main part of the
tower. For further information, contact Bill Murrells.
As to the erection of nestboxes, the following should be taken into
consideration:
_ The height is not critical, but 3-5 metres is
usually recommended. The higher the nestbox, the less likely it is that
unwanted species will occupy it.
- Nor is orientation critical, although it is
advisable to avoid placing the boxes in such a way that prevailing
wind, rain or strong sunlight can penetrate.
- It is very important that the swifts have a
clear flight path to their nest site, so avoid putting boxes on a wall
where there is a high hedge, trees or other obstacles nearby.
- Try to avoid siting boxes where much light can
penetrate: swifts seem to like penumbra.
- If possible, put in some "starter" material for
their nest scrape. Some feathers, wood chippings or the detritus from
old house sparrow nests work well, as does a coil of hemp rope. Jacobi
Jayne [hyperlink] produce a moulded hollow for their standard
single-chamber nestbox.
- If you are trying to relocate or to extend a
nearby colony, the chances are good that non-breeders (ie birds in
their second summer) will prospect the boxes, even taking up occupancy,
and will, if all goes well, breed in them in the following year.
- If you have no nearby colony, it is much more
difficult to start a fresh colony. One way to encourage non-breeders to
investigate new nestboxes is to play swift calls using a commercially
available CD [hyperlink to Jacobi Jayne]. It is important, however, not
to do this until well into the breeding season, say from late July, as
it might otherwise cause harmful disturbance to nesting birds.
|
