Re: [SLN] Digest for swiftslocalnetwork@googlegroups.com - 9 updates in 5 topics

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Brian Weller

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Jun 5, 2025, 6:37:47 AM6/5/25
to swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com
Hello,
Where do I find the 'Call and Response Survey Method' that is being discussed in the SLN?
Brian Weller
Winchcombe Swift Support Group

On Thu, 5 Jun 2025 at 07:58, <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Carol Collins <carolwc...@gmail.com>: Jun 04 02:41PM +0100

For interest, my (very immediate!) response re swift bricks from the
Ministry of Housing; a lengthy way of saying that they are not prepared to
commit to making swift bricks mandatory at the moment.
Carol, Hathersage.
 
 
 
---------- Forwarded message ---------From: MHCLG Correspondence Unit (No
Reply) <no.r...@communities.gov.uk>
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2025 at 14:13
Subject: Your correspondence with the Ministry of Housing, Communities &
Local Government (Our ref: TO2025/16087)
To: <carolwc...@gmail.com>
 
 
Dear Mrs Collins,
 
Thank you for contacting the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local
Government on 4 June.
 
Please find our response attached.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
*Correspondence Unit*
 
*Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government*
Jon and Camilla Barlow <bar...@virtuallyhome.co.uk>: Jun 04 05:25PM +0100

Snap - exactly the same response to my email…let’s hope they are counting how many they have to send out!
 

 
Camilla
 
Salisbury & Wilton Swifts
 

 

 

 

 
From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Carol Collins
Sent: 04 June 2025 14:42
To: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [SLN] Fwd: Your correspondence with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (Our ref: TO2025/16087)
 

 
For interest, my (very immediate!) response re swift bricks from the Ministry of Housing; a lengthy way of saying that they are not prepared to commit to making swift bricks mandatory at the moment.
 
Carol, Hathersage.
 

 

 
---------- Forwarded message ---------From: MHCLG Correspondence Unit (No Reply) <no.r...@communities.gov.uk <mailto:no.reply@communities.gov.uk> >
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2025 at 14:13
Subject: Your correspondence with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (Our ref: TO2025/16087)
To: <carolwc...@gmail.com <mailto:carolwcollins61@gmail.com> >
 

 
Dear Mrs Collins,
 
Thank you for contacting the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government on 4 June.
 
Please find our response attached.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Correspondence Unit
 
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
 
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canterburyswifts <canterbu...@gmail.com>: Jun 04 09:59AM -0700

Yep, me too, standard letter going out to all. Pretty typical.
 
Ginny
Canterbury District Swifts
 
On Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 2:42:12 PM UTC+1 carolwcollins61 wrote:
 
canterburyswifts <canterbu...@gmail.com>: Jun 04 09:56AM -0700

Just catching up back from holiday.
 
A really well written and helpful report Graham on your call and response
method, I'll be circulating it to our team!
I have found a few occupied nests using this method, it's been so useful
and demonstrated it only yesterday evening to some of our monitors. Sounds
like we need to start in earnest earlier in the year next season though.
 
So impressed with the amount of effort that you put in, well done and
congratulations on such excellent results!
Ginny
Sophie Streeter <stree...@outlook.com>: Jun 04 11:39AM

Following on from the recent discussions the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 is not the only legislation for protecting birds in the UK which gives protection for ALL wild birds.
 
There is also the European Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 - which following Brexit the UK implemented to Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, this UK piece just lists to the EU law - and therefore the base legislation is still the EU one.
 
 
Please note these references - my highlighting
 
 
The Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
 
PART 3
Amendments to the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 - The Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019<https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2019/9780111176573>
 
 
3A.—(1) The Habitats Directive is to be construed for the purposes of these Regulations as if—
(a)
any reference to “the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies” included a reference to the United Kingdom;
(b)
any reference to “Member State” or “Member States” included a reference to the United Kingdom;
 
2) The new Wild Birds Directive is to be construed for the purposes of these Regulations as if—
(a)
any reference to “the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies” included a reference to the United Kingdom; and
(b)
any reference to “Member State” or “Member States” included a reference to the United Kingdom.
 
 
6A.—(1) The appropriate authority must, in co-operation with any other authority having a corresponding responsibility, manage, and where necessary adapt, the national site network, so far as it consists of European sites, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the management objectives of the national site network.
(2) The management objectives of the national site network are—
(a)
to maintain at, or where appropriate restore to, a favourable conservation status in their natural range (so far as it lies in the United Kingdom’s territory, and so far as is proportionate)—
(i)
the habitat types listed in Annex I to the Habitats Directive; and
(ii)
the species listed in Annex II to that Directive whose natural range includes any part of the United Kingdom’s territory; and
(b)
to contribute to ensuring the survival and reproduction in their area of distribution of—
(i)
species of birds listed in Annex I to the new Wild Birds Directive which naturally occur in the United Kingdom’s territory; and
(ii)
regularly occurring migratory species of birds not listed in that Annex which naturally occur in the United Kingdom’s territory.
 
 
Amendment of regulation 40 (protection of wild birds, their eggs and nests)
55. In regulation 40—
(a)
in paragraphs (5)(c) and (6), for “relevant EU instrument”, substitute “relevant retained EU law”;
 
 
 
The following are direct paragraphs from the EU law with my highlighting/emboldening
 
The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 -The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017<https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1012/regulation/43>
 
Protection of certain wild animals: offences
43.—(1) A person who—
(a)
deliberately captures, injures or kills any wild animal of a European protected species,
(b)
deliberately disturbs wild animals of any such species,
(c)
deliberately takes or destroys the eggs of such an animal, or
(d)
damages or destroys a breeding site or resting place of such an animal,
is guilty of an offence.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), disturbance of animals includes in particular any disturbance which is likely—
(a)
to impair their ability—
(i)
to survive, to breed or reproduce, or to rear or nurture their young; or
(ii)
in the case of animals of a hibernating or migratory species, to hibernate or migrate; or
(b)
to affect significantly the local distribution or abundance of the species to which they belong.
 
 
Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council - Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (codified version)<https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2009/147>
 
 
Article 1
1.
This Directive relates to the conservation of all species of naturally occurring birds in the wild state in the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies. It covers the protection, management and control of these species and lays down rules for their exploitation.
2.
It shall apply to birds, their eggs, nests and habitats.
 
Article 5
Without prejudice to Articles 7 and 9, Member States shall take the requisite measures to establish a general system of protection for all species of birds referred to in Article 1, prohibiting in particular:
(a)
deliberate killing or capture by any method;
(b)
deliberate destruction of, or damage to, their nests and eggs or removal of their nests;
(c)
taking their eggs in the wild and keeping these eggs even if empty;
(d)
deliberate disturbance of these birds particularly during the period of breeding and rearing, in so far as disturbance would be significant having regard to the objectives of this Directive;
(e)
keeping birds of species the hunting and capture of which is prohibited.
 
 
I am not an expert in law/this, so if anyone thinks I have misinterepreted, please do say!
 
 
In addition another snippet of information - on the National Wildlife Crime Unit website it lists the following:
 
Disturbance
 
* Are trees/hedgerows that may have nesting birds in them being cut down?
* Is someone damaging an active bird nest?
 
As we know the nest isn't just the physical material the bird put together - it is the place the nest is in also that enables the nest to be there - i.e. the caivity, box, tree, hedge - as clearly indicated by the line from the NWCR. The site ddoes not list this part specific to Scotland. If the police/wildife crime officer take the literal meaning of the nest as the bird's material - anyone would be able to take a bird box down that was in active use and throw it away as long as they didn'ttouch th nest inside - this is clearly not the intentiaon of the law, or the NWCR line re hedges.
 
I hope this will help with anyone in areas where the police/wildlife crime officers are not fulfilling their obligations to protect nesting birds.
 
Best wishes,
 
Sophie
 
 
Sent from Outlook<http://aka.ms/weboutlook>
Laurinda Luffman <Laurinda...@rspb.org.uk>: Jun 04 01:47PM

Hi Sophie
 
Good to draw people’s attention to this.
 
Just to add, the EU legislation only relates to nationally designated places – like Specially Protected Areas and NNRs – so wouldn’t cover Swifts nesting in individual properties/towns outside of those, according to Mark Thomas.
 
Laurinda
 
 
From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Sophie Streeter
Sent: 04 June 2025 12:40
To: Digest recipients <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [SLN] Legislation for protecting wild birds
 
Following on from the recent discussions the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 is not the only legislation for protecting birds in the UK which gives protection for ALL wild birds.
 
There is also the European Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 - which following Brexit the UK implemented to Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, this UK piece just lists to the EU law - and therefore the base legislation is still the EU one.
 
 
Please note these references - my highlighting
 
 
The Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
 
PART 3
Amendments to the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 - The Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019<https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2019/9780111176573>
 
 
3A.—(1) The Habitats Directive is to be construed for the purposes of these Regulations as if—
(a)
any reference to “the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies” included a reference to the United Kingdom;
(b)
any reference to “Member State” or “Member States” included a reference to the United Kingdom;
 
2) The new Wild Birds Directive is to be construed for the purposes of these Regulations as if—
(a)
any reference to “the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies” included a reference to the United Kingdom; and
(b)
any reference to “Member State” or “Member States” included a reference to the United Kingdom.
 
 
6A.—(1) The appropriate authority must, in co-operation with any other authority having a corresponding responsibility, manage, and where necessary adapt, the national site network, so far as it consists of European sites, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the management objectives of the national site network.
(2) The management objectives of the national site network are—
(a)
to maintain at, or where appropriate restore to, a favourable conservation status in their natural range (so far as it lies in the United Kingdom’s territory, and so far as is proportionate)—
(i)
the habitat types listed in Annex I to the Habitats Directive; and
(ii)
the species listed in Annex II to that Directive whose natural range includes any part of the United Kingdom’s territory; and
(b)
to contribute to ensuring the survival and reproduction in their area of distribution of—
(i)
species of birds listed in Annex I to the new Wild Birds Directive which naturally occur in the United Kingdom’s territory; and
(ii)
regularly occurring migratory species of birds not listed in that Annex which naturally occur in the United Kingdom’s territory.
 
 
Amendment of regulation 40 (protection of wild birds, their eggs and nests)
55. In regulation 40—
(a)
in paragraphs (5)(c) and (6), for “relevant EU instrument”, substitute “relevant retained EU law”;
 
 
 
The following are direct paragraphs from the EU law with my highlighting/emboldening
 
The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 -The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017<https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1012/regulation/43>
 
Protection of certain wild animals: offences
43.—(1) A person who—
(a)
deliberately captures, injures or kills any wild animal of a European protected species,
(b)
deliberately disturbs wild animals of any such species,
(c)
deliberately takes or destroys the eggs of such an animal, or
(d)
damages or destroys a breeding site or resting place of such an animal,
is guilty of an offence.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), disturbance of animals includes in particular any disturbance which is likely—
(a)
to impair their ability—
(i)
to survive, to breed or reproduce, or to rear or nurture their young; or
(ii)
in the case of animals of a hibernating or migratory species, to hibernate or migrate; or
(b)
to affect significantly the local distribution or abundance of the species to which they belong.
 
 
Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council - Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (codified version)<https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2009/147>
 
 
Article 1
1.
This Directive relates to the conservation of all species of naturally occurring birds in the wild state in the European territory of the Member States to which the Treaty applies. It covers the protection, management and control of these species and lays down rules for their exploitation.
2.
It shall apply to birds, their eggs, nests and habitats.
 
Article 5
Without prejudice to Articles 7 and 9, Member States shall take the requisite measures to establish a general system of protection for all species of birds referred to in Article 1, prohibiting in particular:
(a)
deliberate killing or capture by any method;
(b)
deliberate destruction of, or damage to, their nests and eggs or removal of their nests;
(c)
taking their eggs in the wild and keeping these eggs even if empty;
(d)
deliberate disturbance of these birds particularly during the period of breeding and rearing, in so far as disturbance would be significant having regard to the objectives of this Directive;
(e)
keeping birds of species the hunting and capture of which is prohibited.
 
 
I am not an expert in law/this, so if anyone thinks I have misinterepreted, please do say!
 
 
In addition another snippet of information - on the National Wildlife Crime Unit website it lists the following:
 
Disturbance
· Are trees/hedgerows that may have nesting birds in them being cut down?
· Is someone damaging an active bird nest?
 
As we know the nest isn't just the physical material the bird put together - it is the place the nest is in also that enables the nest to be there - i.e. the caivity, box, tree, hedge - as clearly indicated by the line from the NWCR. The site ddoes not list this part specific to Scotland. If the police/wildife crime officer take the literal meaning of the nest as the bird's material - anyone would be able to take a bird box down that was in active use and throw it away as long as they didn'ttouch th nest inside - this is clearly not the intentiaon of the law, or the NWCR line re hedges.
 
I hope this will help with anyone in areas where the police/wildlife crime officers are not fulfilling their obligations to protect nesting birds.
 
Best wishes,
 
Sophie
 
 
Sent from Outlook<http://aka.ms/weboutlook>
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Barbara Anglezarke <Barbara.A...@beacons-npa.gov.uk>: Jun 04 09:30AM

Hello swifties - we'd be grateful for collective advice!
One of our Brecon & District group members has contacted us on Facebook with this problem: 'We have swifts and house martins but I'm very worried about the squirrels in our roof which we don't seem to be able to catch. Last year I know they decimated at least one nest.'
 
Have any of you successfully tackled this?
 
Thanks very much,
Barbara
 
 
 
Barbara Anglezarke
Swyddog Cronfa Datblygu Cynaliadwy / Sustainable Development Fund Officer
 
S/M: 07977 944327
G/W: bannau.cymru | bannau.wales
 
Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog | Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
Plas y Ffynnon, Ffordd Cambrian | Cambrian Way
Aberhonddu | Brecon LD3 7HP
[A picture containing text Description automatically generated]
 
Rwy'n gweithio dydd Mawrth, dydd Mercher, dydd Iau / I work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
 
Croeso i chi gysylltu ? ni yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb yn Gymraeg, heb oedi. You are welcome to contact us in Welsh. We will respond in Welsh without delay.
Dick Newell <dick....@gmail.com>: Jun 04 10:37AM +0100

We had a squirrel enlarge entrances in All Saints' Worlington, wiping out 2
pairs of Swifts. We screwed steel bars above and below each entrance on the
inside. This was easier than removing the boxes to screw steel plates to
the outside.
Dick
 
On Wed, 4 Jun 2025 at 10:30, Barbara Anglezarke <
Nick Brown <brown...@gmail.com>: Jun 04 08:50AM +0100

Hi
There are now *50 SAW* events on the AfS list so numbers have increased
somewhat since my last update though there's plenty of time for more to be
arranged.
SAW 2025 events - Google Docs
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8BT0Iw-m9DrJD0YfzX6avEu4xVEgVeu5uvPjKDfiXM/edit?tab=t.0>
.
(And there's no stigma for late announcements!)
 
RSPB's Jamie Wyver is ensuring that SAW is promoted to members: see Swift
Awareness Week 2025
<https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/swift-awareness-week>
 
Hope to hear from more of you soon....
 
Nb. Event organisers: Please check that I (and RSPB) have entered your
event details accurately. With some I had to edit longer texts somewhat.
 
Nick
*UK SAW 2025 Coordinator*
 
[image: UK SAW 2025 logo plus dates via Peta Sams.jpg]
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Graham Knight

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Jun 5, 2025, 8:08:47 AM6/5/25
to swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com, Graham Knight
Hi Brian

Please find details attached

Best wishes

Graham

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Call and response method for Swifts - 2024 report.pdf
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