Re: [SLN] Digest for swiftslocalnetwork@googlegroups.com - 2 updates in 1 topic

[La Babi]

Hi Nick

Many thanks for the prompt reply. The walk is on the 2nd July to coincide with SAW; I am leading a work project to create a swift street in Crowthorne (Berkshire) in collaboration with the Parish Council and the local Men’s Shed, and we would like to unveil it with a swift walk during SAW. 

I will also lead more walks during SAW for Bracknell Town Council, will send details over to you.

Many thanks

Best

Barbara

Il giorno sab 7 feb 2026 alle 06:58 <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> ha scritto:

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• Digest for swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com - 1 update in 1 topic - 2 Updates

Digest for swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com - 1 update in 1 topic

La Babi <barbara...@gmail.com>: Feb 06 05:34PM Hi all   I am running a walk for swift awareness week in July in collaboration with the Council, does anyone know how we can add it to the SAW calendar please? Who do we contact?   Thanks   Best   Barbara   Il giorno ven 6 feb 2026 alle 06:58 <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> ha scritto:

Nick Brown <brown...@gmail.com>: Feb 06 08:49PM Hi Barbara I am coordinating the week once again and Peta Sams is kindly managing the list of events this year which will appear on the Action for Swifts blog as usual. So, provided your event/s fall inside the week (27 June to 5 July inclusive) do send the details to me and I'll pass them on to Peta. Peta will soon have finalised a new mechanism to allow event organisers to submit their event details and when she's ready she'll post to SLN about it.   Meanwhile, I'm at brown...@gmail.com so do send your event details to me pro tem. Please try to follow the style/format used last year: see - SAW 2025 events - Google Docs <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8BT0Iw-m9DrJD0YfzX6avEu4xVEgVeu5uvPjKDfiXM/edit?tab=t.0> .   Nick ps Currently I'm having some issues with Peta's email address so I'm reluctant to quote it here in case I have it incorrectly

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[Peta Sams - Shropshire Swifts]

I am going to set up a form for you to enter event details on but haven’t done this yet. So for those of you already planning SAW events please hold on to the information for now. 

You can always contact me at swiftsloc...@gmail.com

Peta

[La Babi]

Hi all

In need of some advice please. Our HQ, an old Victorian house in need of repair, was sold to a private company last year and we are in the process of moving out. There are 10 model 30s on the wall, mostly occupied. I sent some info material to the company a while ago via our facilities manager, and they were positive and promised they would look after the swifts during renovation. 

Roof renovation will start in April and will last for 9 months. I had a call from the head of facilities yesterday and the company wants to take down the old boxes in February so that work doesn’t get delayed, and they don’t seem to have thought much about mitigation for this breeding season at all. Their ecologists apparently thought swifts come back in March and they had no idea that the swifts will literally bang their heads on the wall trying to find the boxes!

Also from what I understand they were planning to add swift bricks at the back of the building in a ‘more suitable location’ to substitute the boxes at the front once the roof work was completed, which means of course the the swifts will not be able to breed at all as the location is too low, so I suggested to also add nesting solutions at the front, where the current boxes are. This however will still mean that the swifts will not be able to breed this year.

Our facilities manager proposed to temporarily hang the boxes on the scaffolding: I don’t understand why the company cannot work around the swifts breeding times and allow them to nest while the work in the roof is being carried out…

 

My questions are; would swifts nest in the boxes if they were attached to scaffolding? And is working around the swifts an achievable thing?

 

Thanks so much for the support with this 🙏🏼

Barbara

[Cally Smith Huntly & District Swift Group]

Hi Barbara

I think Mike and Edward have covered this but i was involved with a listed building project some years ago and with advice and guidance from Edward i relayed to the builders to wrap the scaffold with Ecowrap (rather than standard netting) to prevent the swifts entering to get to old nest sites, and to fix nest boxes on to the scaffold in like for like places to old nest sites.  We were lucky in as much as swifts were also nesting at the building next door which kept up their interest, plus we used a call system.  The works covered an entire season.  There was prospecting at the temporary boxes but no nesting as it turned out.  TBH i didnt think there would be.  I imagine there will have been losses with swifts displaced, and had we not done this they would possibly all have been lost.  Not much consolation mind you.  The newly reinstated provisions are being used once again.  It helped greatly that i was allowed to put forward a proposal which in turn was copied in to a SPP by the ecologist to get the ball rolling.

I dont agree that provision should be moved to the rear of the house as there are so many solutions to install provision at the front, which can be invisible if done correctly.  There are many options!!!  All depends on the extent of the works.   The swifts may be relocated to the rear with a call system i guess but not ideal.  The trouble often is that dare i say, many ecologists know nothing about bespoke solutions, all they know is a standard swift brick or an external nest box!!!  Edward and Dick are the best people to get involved as they have YEARS of experience on me!!!

Good luck X
Cally