122 THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2025 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS SWALLOWS, SWIFTS and HOUSE MARTINS DICK NEWELL BUILDINGS OFTEN provide valuable nesting sites for bats and birds, and there is general agreement that vibrant wildlife in the built environment is good for people and their mental wellbeing. Swifts, swallows and house martins are among the most uplifting of birds and should be a priority for conservation. Whereas swifts and house martins are on the UK Red List1, swallows are not, but they too have declined significantly in the last ten years. CONSERVATION OF EXISTING NEST SITES While many small birds build themselves a new nest every year, those that nest in buildings will usually use the same nest every year, sometimes for many years in succession. Thus the priority is to do everything possible to preserve existing nest sites. This may mean scheduling renovations to be carried out outside the breeding season or at least to ensure access to nest sites is not obstructed when they are breeding. The breeding season for swifts runs from early May until well into August and they only ever have a single brood. Swallows and house martins may start earlier and finish later. They usually have more than one brood. Beware of ecology surveys undertaken outside the birds’ breeding season which record no evidence of breeding sites! Even a survey during the breeding season can easily miss nest sites, especially for swifts who typically return only a few times per day, so indicators such as likely entrance holes and traces of droppings can be relevant. Swallows: the main priority is the conservation of existing nest sites as providing new ones requires a suitable space in a porch, outbuilding or an internal space where their presence will not conflict with other uses. This is not always practical and whilst artificial swallow nests are available, there is little information on their success. Swifts: the main reason for their decline is loss of nest sites, so the mantra of preserving existing ones is particularly important. If this is not possible, there are many ways of providing new nest sites in mitigation for those unavoidably lost or for the creation of new colonies, as outlined below. House martins: artificial nest cups can be very successful for these birds: all you need is an overhang of at least four metres high above an area where their droppings will not offend. Areas above doorways, walkways or conservatories should be avoided. CREATION OF NEW NEST SITES The focus of this article is on the design of nest sites for swifts as they are particularly vulnerable to decline. However, swift boxes can also be occupied by other cavity-nesting species, including house martins, house sparrows and starlings and are sometimes described as ‘universal’. Since all these species are also red-listed, occupation by any one of them should be seen as a success, and it may be necessary to add more boxes. Swifts will also occupy starling boxes, emulating their ancestral homes in old woodpecker holes. They need to be high enough (over five metres) and with a rough interior wall. The last thing one would want to do is to stick an eyesore on the outside of a nice old building, regardless of whether it is listed or not. So, opportunities inside the building are to be preferred. At a minimum, the rules outlined in Listed Building Consent: Historic England Advice Note 16 should be observed. Belfry installations For many churches the ideal nest site solution is high up in the belfry behind the louvres, giving the birds a degree of seclusion. They are out of sight, are relatively inexpensive and swifts like them. For church belfry guidelines see bc-url.com/BCD25_2. Swift bricks Opportunities for integral swift bricks may present themselves when repairs are undertaken to masonry walls or when altering or extending the building. Something like the AfS S-Brick (www.actionforswifts.com), faced with a brick from the same wall is simple to fit and visually acceptable. Other solutions within a wall With thick brick walls, removing a brick and clearing a cavity 200mm deep, then replacing it with a thick brick slip in which there is a drilled entrance hole before being mortared in, is a good 1 jncc.gov.uk/our-work/red-lists-in-great-britain Herringswell Church boxes, custom built to fit between the joists extending beneath the eaves (All photos: Action for Swifts) Herringswell Church, Suffolk, has had great success with swift boxes.
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