Tubbercurry's swift response to the gathering

Tubbercurry is a town in County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland, where they have an annual festival, called 'The Gathering'. Brian Cahalane sent us this article which appeared in the Sligo Champion. It is a light-hearted take on the Tubbercurry Swift Project 

In the spirit of "The Gathering" the Tubbercurry Tidy Towns group have added a warm welcome, and expanded accommodation for the town's Swift population to their other activities to welcome home all of Tubbercurry's emigrants, ramblers and wanderers.

A Swift flies high over Tubbercurry
Photo Michael Casey

Tubbercurry Tidy Towns Committee has interpreted the theme of the 2013 Gathering in a unique way, as they devised a biodiversity project to enhance their other activities that are aimed at making Tubbercurry a better place to live in.

The voluntary group has completed the construction of Tubbercurry's first post-recession housing estate, purpose-built for returning emigrants of the aerial variety.  "Swift Terrace" is a new development of beautifully appointed nestboxes specially designed for Swifts, which are a formerly common urban bird which is now in rapid decline.  

9 Schwegler nest boxes adorn this otherwise bland gable end
Photo Michael Casey

The birds return each year from their winter holiday homes in Africa to find fewer and fewer crevices to build their nests, as we get better at sealing roofs to keep out draughts.  Swifts nest in a few places in the town, but as in other towns, Tubbercurry's Swift population has been in rapid decline.  The decline in the Swifts is at odds with Ireland's reputation as a hospitable and welcoming country, so the Tidy Town Committee embarked on their ambitious scheme to attract the Swifts to special nestboxes in Tubbercurry designed for their needs.  The development also has some unique design features to prevent other species taking up residence.

Swift Terrace is the newest and most exclusive address in Tubbercurry. The development of cosy single storey apartments for Swifts is  located on a store just off the Circular Road belonging to local SuperValu owner Gearóid Surlis, and is the brainchild of the local Tidy Towns Committee, with the assistance of BirdWatch Sligo.  To assist birds in finding the development, a sign is planned, but in the meantime, and in case they can't read, a sound system has been broadcasting the sounds of a successful Swift colony, to ensure the birds find and inspect the 'show-house'.  The project was erected by local contractors Dermot Molloy and John James Maye, with finance for the project coming from local fundraising, and a generous grant from Sligo County Council's Community Heritage Grant Scheme.  Surlis's SuperValu sponsored a box and provided a site for the development.

The first Swift is seen flying straight into one of the nest boxes
Photo Michael Casey

The last few weeks have been an anxious time as we scanned the skies above the town roofline for the characteristically slim profiles and direct flight action of returning Swifts.  They returned in the first week of May in small numbers, but the best hope was the later arriving birds, which tend to be the young 'first-time buyers' a key market for the project. These arrived this week, with a noticeable increase in the numbers of Swifts in Tubbercurry since mid-week.  We waited with bated breath to see if they would approve the accommodation.  At 7.50am on Saturday morning 8th June,  the first Swift was seen entering one of the nestboxes.  While it is too soon to say that these birds will breed this year, it is an excellent start, and the committee are now confident that their unique development won't be a 'ghost estate'.

First occupant in a heat-proof box

UPDATE August 2013 The first occupants succeeded in raising 2 chicks
UPDATE 2014: 2 chicks raised
UPDATE 2015 & 2016: 2 chicks raised both years
UPDATE 2017: the birds have returned

Written by Dick

It is that time of year when many people are waiting for their first Swift to occupy their new boxes. Some people will have spent some years at it, but others are more fortunate. Judith Wakelam is one person who would dearly love to have Swifts nesting on her bungalow, she spends many hours every year rehabilitating Swifts. She also provided the inspiration for the successful nest-boxes in her local church in Worlington. Her bungalow is barely suitable. The only location high enough is the apex of the south-facing gable end.

A few years ago, we built some prototype nest boxes to see if one could control the temperature on a south-facing wall. By building a double-walled box, similar to a Zeist, and taking temperature measurements on hot days, we convinced ourselves that it was possible.

One of these prototypes has sat in my garage ever since, until I suggested to Judith that she try it on her south-facing gable end. We installed the box on the 24th May, as well as a tweeter driven by the AfS Box of Swifts.

The box is made of 12mm marine plywood, with an air gap between the two layers of ply on the sides and the top. The slope-backed front means the mid-day sun cannot hit the front of the box. The whole thing is painted with Sandtex, mixed with grit to simulate bricks, which, fortuitously, matched Judith's bricks quite well. The tweeter is installed on the underside of the box. Photo Judith Wakelam

Well, we are happy to report that Judith now has two Swifts happily going in and out of her newly installed box, let's hope they stay.

A Swift enters for the first time. Always an exciting moment both for the Swift and for the owner!
The Swift seems to be making good use of the 'landing platform' below the entrance.
Photo Judith Wakelam

#temperature

Swift intervention in Ballyclare

Rodney Monteith sent us this inspirational story, written by Sharman Finlay. It will be interesting to see if their prompt intervention will be successful.

8 Filcris Zeist-style boxes and 2 speakers.
Photo Rodney Monteith

Close up of 1 box and a speaker. Photo Rodney Monteith

One could be forgiven for wondering why James Gault and I, Sharman Finlay, were devastated by the demolition in February of a derelict, charmless former supermarket in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland . When you find out that James is a member of Larne RSPB group and I am a member of the Antrim group, and that both of us are keen and active conservationists, perhaps it becomes clearer? The old building was home for many years to nesting swifts and the prospect of the birds returning from their long migration from Africa to find their home was gone filled us with sadness, almost to the point of tears.

Both of us await the annual return of migrating swallows, martins and swifts with eagerness; the turn of the season, the anticipation of longer summer days. My late husband and I had our children primed to spot the birds, rewarding the first sighting. The swifts' joyful screeching overhead as they zoom around like miniature fighter planes is a part of summer; something without which our area and our souls would be bereft.

What to do? Brenda Campbell, the leader of my R.S.P.B. group, immediately agreed that some intervention must be possible and we met in Brown's Coffee Shop to discuss Swift Action to Save our Swifts. Edward McKee, a master craftsman and all-round handyman offered help, as did Rodney Monteith of Greenmount College, an expert with experience in interventions to secure swift habitats. Kate McAllister offered support and ideas too. Plans began to take shape; boxes and callers would be ordered and approaches made to various people.

Attempts to secure funding from the demolition company and developer fell on deaf ears, but Gary Millar of Millar's Butchers, whose premises are very close to the former site, immediately offered to have swift boxes and callers located to the rear of his building and kindly offered to install them himself. Many people looked at me as if I were mad when I explained our plan, but Gary calmly agreed. This offer of doing the installation work removed the substantial charge which would have been levied for the hire of a cherry-picker. Naturally, we queried Health and Safety issues, but Gary was happy to use the services of a friend, a local contractor, Colin Patterson.

The time up to the arrival of the swifts passed very quickly and when I spotted the first swift on the 30th April, I began to get a bit panicky; Gary had been rushed into hospital that weekend; 10 boxes had arrived and 2 callers; Rodney had got the wiring and housing organised for the latter with the assistance of Edward. Was it all going to be in vain? Swift numbers were growing by the day, but my normal joy at watching and listening to their antics was tempered by anxiety. Brenda and I exchanged feverish text messages and liaised with the others. Result!!! Gary was not to be deterred and insisted on holding the ladder while Colin did the installation and 8 Filcris boxes and 2 speakers were in place by the end of the week. Gary's wife, Daphne, also an R.S.P.B. member, is monitoring the speaker system which uses the Kinter amplifier playing an SD memory card, as detailed on the AFS site, to ensure they are working. Needless to say, we have all been inspecting the boxes( from ground level!) and some swifts have been spotted flying very close to them. It is a case of watch these spaces.....

We have had publicity from our 2 local newspapers and hope that people will realise what else, other than a building, is lost when demolition and redevelopment take place.

Gable end nestbox in Norway

We like to see examples of well made, nice looking nest boxes, and here is an example designed and built by Johnny Reitan from Molde, which is quite far north on the coast of Norway.

The finished cabinet - click to enlarge.

The box comprises 4 nest-chambers, and is made to match the cladding of the house exactly. The top entrance is protected by a flute, and the bottom 3 entrances are adjacent to the wall of the house - a position where Swifts commonly seek a new nest site. A speaker for attraction calls is mounted inside each chamber.  The metal ventilation grill in the middle allows air to flow into the original ventilation grill in the house.

As the eaves were so narrow, the box extends beyond them, but with adequate roof insulation, this will not be a problem.

For Swift boxes to be accepted by owners and architects, it is important that they fit in well with the building - this has been well achieved here.  Thank you Johnny for letting us use it.

The pictures below tell their own story of how it was conceived and assembled, and Johnny has more pictures here and here:

Internal structure, with nest platforms

Components for front assembly

The assembled cabinet. The front is removed for installation

A view from below

A view from inside the box showing the position of 4 tweeter speakers

Close up of the installed cabinet

#triangle

New nest boxes at Ely Maltings

UPDATE August 2013. The pair of Swifts in the original 10 boxes returned to breed and 1 additional pair occupied one of the 10 new boxes.

UPDATE 2016: 5 pairs bred this year.

UPDATE 2017: on 1st July, Swifts were seen entering 9 boxes: 8 into the original 10 boxes and 1 into the new boxes

We reported previously on our inspection of the first 10 boxes installed by Bill Murrells at Ely Maltings, Cambridgeshire, where Swifts once bred on top of the wall under the eaves, then nest-boxes were installed as compensation for the loss of nest sites when the building was renovated. Although only one pair of swifts has occupied the nest boxes so far, we have now added 10 more boxes, together with an attraction call player with speakers. The team this time included Bob Tonks, Jake Allsop and Bill Murrells. 

Written by Dick

Ely Maltings. The nest-boxes are out of sight under the eaves. In the foreground is a
Richardson's Goose Branta h. hutchinsii, and 2 members of one of the only two self-sustaining
populations of wild Muscovy Ducks Cairina moschata in the UK. Photo Bob Tonks

Ely Maltings is an attractive Victorian building not far from Ely city centre. It is used for events, such as weddings, concerts and film shows. In the summertime, there is a bar and restaurant, where people can sit out and enjoy the riverside setting. All that is now needed is a vibrant Swift colony, but it is essential that nothing is done to compromise the appearance of the building.

This was certainly achieved with the first 10 boxes which were tucked up well under the eaves and painted black. The entrances were in the bottom of the box, away from the wall, with a vertical 'landing platform' attached adjacent to the entrance. In other projects under eaves we have used a sloping entrance at the front of the box e.g. [1]. [2]. [3]

Successful nest boxes at Rutland Water with entrances
next to and parallel to the wall. Photo Tim Collins
For more pictures see SMSWW photos- requires login

This time we thought we would try something a little different and simpler by placing the entrances next to the wall. Our initial concerns that the swifts may not like an entrance so close to the wall, because of perceived difficulties in manoeuvring when entering and leaving were allayed when we found plenty of examples of successful nest boxes like this. For example Tim Collins project in Rutland (picture left).

Entrances parallel and perpendicular to the wall

We followed Tim's example of not having a back to the boxes and we did away with a roof as well.

There is still a question whether the entrance should be parallel or perpendicular to the wall, there are successful examples of both.

We decided to make 5 of each.

The pictures at left illustrate the simple idea we came up with showing both entrance configurations. [the real boxes were painted black and were not possible to photograph]

Swift's view of entrances

The spaces between the joists varied between 28cm and 34.5cm, so each box had to be tailor-made. The distance from the wall to the front of the boxes was 25cm. The boxes were made of 12mm weather-proof ply.

The boxes were installed by removing the bottom, screwing the sides to the joists, then replacing the bottom.

Two tweeter speakers have been installed ready for playing attraction calls in May (See Cheng Sheng player).

#openeaves

New Swift boxes in Oostvoorne

We saw this heartening story on Norman Deans van Swelm's website, and we thought it worth re-blogging here. A large colony of Swifts in Oostvoorne lost their nests due to roof renovation. However, thanks to an initiative by local citizens, the colony was saved. We also thought that the nest box design was neat and simple, and fitted in well with the houses.

Contributed by Norman Deans van Swelm, adapted by Dick

As in many other places, Swifts, House Sparrows, Starlings, Bats and House Martins all lose out when modern roof renovations conform to government regulations, where, in the Netherlands, all roofs must be delivered "mouse free".

However, as the nests of Swifts are protected by law, the village council provided funds for nest boxes to compensate for the loss of nest-sites.  The nest boxes were designed by Martin van de Reep so that the new entrances could be as close as possible to the old entrances.

Roughly 80% of the 168 boxes installed in 2011 were visited by Swifts that same year. Originally, many of the Swifts entered the roof at the end of the gutter. Others accessed their nests via an entrance next to the rain pipes. It took a while before the birds realised that the former entrance had been blocked by a nest box.

Initially there were quite a few fights between pairs competing for the same nest box.

In 2012, 130 young were ringed.

Also in 2012, House Martins took advantage of the new nest boxes provided. They only needed to use a fraction of the amount of mud that they normally use to reduce the size of the entrance

The previous entrance was behind the pipe. This Swift has successfully found the new entrance.

The new nest boxes do not detract from the appearance of the houses

This is a rather nice outcome

The boxes made were 400mm deep, which is wider than many people's eaves. The material used was Western Red Cedar with stainless steel screws. As these boxes will never be exposed to the sun or rain, then any treated material should last a long time.

Below we have modelled a similar box in Google Sketchup, with indicative minimum dimensions. Ideally, this box needs eaves at least 250mm (~10 inches) wide. We have modified the Oostvoorne design slightly, by extending the front up a small amount, so that it is easier to fit snug under the eaves. If you have more space, then make the box deeper and wider. The whole front can be removed for inspection.

These minimum dimensions are for guidance. One would not want less than 250mm for the depth.
The length could be made longer than 300mm.

Internal structure

Michael Osborne's Swift Hotel

UPDATE August 2013: Michael succeeded in attracting Swifts into 3 of his boxes, of which one pair settled in the top box on the right. Michael had used black paint below the entrances on all 3 boxes that the Swifts entered

It is good to see some considerable effort put into the architectural form of a structure built for Swifts. Our Victorian ancestors got the hang of it with their elegant dovecotes. More recently, the Americans have a whole industry using creative designs for Purple Martin houses. It is desirable that accommodation for Swifts not only suits the birds, but also that it enhances the architectural forms in our environment. Of course, Swift accommodation may be more challenging, as it needs to be erected at least 5 metres high, but Michael Osborne has shown here what can be achieved on the gable end of a modest house.

Here is a picture, left, of Michael's complete 'hotel', which is installed on his girlfriend Amy's house. And my, what an improvement to an otherwise bland gable end.

This birdhouse contains 8 nest chambers for Swifts, it is constructed out of marine ply, and all cut ends are sealed so they are permanently waterproof.

The internal structure is quite complicated, so the following Google Sketchup drawings are intended to illustrate how it goes together.

Sketchup model of complete box

There are 2 sets of 4 boxes each, 4 with their entrances under the louvres on the front and 4 with their entrances on the right. There are no entrances on the left. 

For illustrative purposes, we have chosen a sun angle that highlights the relief of the box, in practice it is installed facing away from the sun.

Front assembly removed

In this picture on the left, the entrances to the 4 boxes on the right can be seen in the 4 floors.

The space under the roof, behind the decorative grill can be used to house speakers to play attraction calls.


Most cuts in this design are at 15°, so relatively easy to make with a jigsaw.

View from inside of front assembly

The front assembly shows the 4 entrances to the boxes on the left side of the box (when viewed from the front).

Should anyone wish to create something similar, then MIchael is happy to supply the Google Sketchup model so you can read off the dimensions.

For many more pictures of this 'hotel' under construction, see SMSWW (requires login).

The simplest DIY Swift nest-box

If you are carpentarily challenged, but would like to make your own Swift boxes, then here are some simple ideas. The whole thing is assembled from a single plank, and straight saw-cuts.
[for a wider range of DIY designs, see here]

Contributed by Bob Tonks

Dimensions: click picture to enlarge.
If Starlings are a problem then reduce the entrance to 28mm high

Buy a plank 180cm x 15cm x 15mm thick and cut it into pieces: (4 x 375mm, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 40mm).  You should have a small bit left over. Then saw out the entrance from 1 of the long pieces (2cuts 80mm & 45mm resulting in an entrance 65mm x 30mm).

The material can be weather-proof ply or pine. In either case, the wood should be treated externally with a wood sealant.

Then assemble all of the pieces, except for the front, using nails, glue or screws. The front should be screwed on, without nails or glue, so that it can be removed for maintenance and for installation. Installation is by 2 screws through the back into the wall.

Position flush with soffit.
Under the eaves is an ideal place for Swifts

The canopy above the entrance is narrow with a sloping top. It provides some shelter (as well as 'decoration'), but it does not allow predators to perch on it.

This box should not be put anywhere where the rain or sun can fall upon it, so it is only appropriate under horizontal eaves, which are at least 200mm wide.

[Hint, when you make the entrance, aim on the small side, you can always take a file to the edges to make it a little larger. If you make it too large, Starlings will get in].

Entrance made with cuts of 80mm by 30mm

On the left are two more ideas with entrances in the floor next to the wall; these are equally simple. In both cases, the resulting entrance is 65mm x 30mm.

In both of these cases, the Swift can brace itself against the wall before entry.

Entrance made with cuts 65mm by 45mm

Both of these latter two ideas can be built without a back, provided the wall is not too uneven. The Swifts may get improved purchase on a rough wall.

Treble Zeist with a double roof

UPDATE August 2012: 1 pair of Great Tits occupied the box on the left, followed by a pair of Swifts which successfully raised chicks.
UPDATE 2014: Swifts nested in both the left and right boxes
UPDATE 2015: These 2 pairs returned and bred. 3 new boxes on another wall were not occupied
UPDATE 2016: All 3 original boxes occupied by Swifts, tweeter moved to 3 new single boxes.

Contributed by Dick

Some old friends asked me what to do about Swift boxes on their Cambridge house, which is located within a 100 metres of a substantial Swift colony in Chesterton Road.

Click to enlarge

The house has no eaves, and the only available walls face south and east, so we decided to place a row of boxes on the east facing part. Both the sun and the rain could hit the top of the box, with the gutter providing little defence.

The Zeist format seemed most appropriate, and to use space efficiently, we built a single box with 3 chambers.

It has a double roof, made of 2 sheets of  marine ply separated by batons. The roof assembly comes off in one piece by removing 4 screws along the front into batons screwed to the inside of the roof.

Computer model showing how the roof assembly is fitted

The whole thing was first coated in clear Ronseal, followed by a coating of decking oil, which should mitigate the effects of ultra violet light.

Gable End Boxes

6 boxes within one triangular cabinet
click for larger picture

We were sent this picture by Nick Stokes of Norfolk. The width of the eaves constrained the boxes within 140mm, the same width as a number of successful commercial nest-boxes.

A design tailored to fit a given situation can enhance the appearance of a property rather than detracting from it. These boxes are placed at the north end of the house, the south end could well lead to overheating.

Note the neat positioning of a speaker above the apex of the boxes.

See another idea for a gable end here

#triangle

Swift nest boxes at Shirley Primary School

Alan Clarke suggested to Kirsty Morris, a teacher at Shirley Primary School, Cambridge, that it might be a good idea to install some swift boxes at the school. Kirsty (Mrs Morris to the children) thought it was a good idea too! So, permission was obtained, a suitable location on the school was found and the project was started.

8 boxes ready for painting and installation

We decided to make 8 boxes similar to those erected at Milton Road Primary School and at Lackford Lakes in Suffolk - these are easily adapted to any odd-shaped eaves. All of the eaves at Shirley school are sloping one way or another.


It was decided to copy Martin Grund's idea in Germany to get the children to number and paint the boxes before installation. As swifts have excellent colour vision and as it is a good idea to have distinctive marks on the boxes for the swifts to recognise them, this seemed a good plan.

The school has an 'Eco Group' of 12 children, made up of 2 children from year 1 to year 6 (6 to 11 year olds). So, on 2nd May, the children gathered around, paint brushes in hand ready to paint the boxes.

Exquisite artistry by Jean Wutchaiyatamrongsil

Colourful artwork by Emily Cooper

8 boxes installed together with sound system

Clarke admiring 4 of the 8 nest boxes

The painting was supervised by Vida Newell and Alan Clarke, together with teaching assistant, Marjory Calamel and student teacher, Sally Worthington.

After painting the boxes, the children stuck sterilised pheasant feathers onto MDF nest concaves. As swifts are very unlikely to find pheasant feathers, we will easily be able to recognise any feathers added by the swifts themselves, typically pigeon feathers.

After gluing the nest concaves into the boxes, they were ready for erection. Here we were joined by Clarke Brunt, who has his own swift colony in Milton, and the 8 boxes were quickly installed under the eaves. While installing the boxes, we spent a lot of time looking up, and we saw several swifts flying over. We finished  off by installing a Box of Swifts attraction call-playing system.

Shirley Primary School is now one of a very small number of schools in the UK with Swift nest-boxes.

Cabinet on a chalet-style gable end

Contributed by Dick
Sandy Jackson of Pakenham in Suffolk sent me some pictures of her chalet-style house asking for suggestions of where to put some swift-boxes.

The original opportunity, as presented

It looked an interesting challenge, as there was nowhere immediately obvious for standard rectangular nest-boxes. So, I decided to have a go at it myself. Trying a number of Google Sketchup models, we eventually came up with a 2-storey cabinet containing 3 nest-boxes. It is again based upon the Zeist-box idea with entrances pointing obliquely downwards.

Front view

There are quite a few 45° cuts to make, but having mastered that, it came together quite well.

It was fortunate that the eaves were nice and wide at about 300mm. Which allowed a good width for both storeys. The dimensions depend critically upon an accurate measurement of the angle at the apex, which in this case was 90°.

We chose the north end of the house to avoid the sun.

Internal structure

With the benefit of hindsight, first make the back and check that it fits perfectly, then make the rest of it.

The whole front, made of 4 pieces of wood, is screwed and glued together, and is removable as a unit. So installation is achieved by screwing the back, with floors attached, to the wall, then replacing the front.

Sandy and husband Tony decided to stain the box to match the colour of the woodwork on the sides of the house.

End result

The final result fits in nicely with the house.

Just how many gable ends like this must there be in the country?

See another idea for a gable end here

#triangle

Bury Farm, Stapleford, Cambs

Written by Dick

Bury Farm, Stapleford was a derelict Victorian granary which has been converted into offices for the ACE Foundation. The land surrounding the building has a stream running through it, and is something of a wildlife haven. The ACE Foundation is keen to enhance the site for wildlife and have already installed Barn Owl boxes. After talking to Rob Mungovan, Ecology Officer at South Cambs District Council, Kevin Hand approached us about the possibility of installing Swift nest-boxes on their building.

Bury Farm with swift nest-boxes installed

8 nest-boxes ready for installation

This is a very nice looking building, so any installation of nest-boxes has to be unobtrusive. The eaves of the building have joists with spaces about 300mm between them, and they extend outwards for about 200mm.  So, we designed simple nest-boxes, with an open top, to fit between the joists and tucked up behind the gutter.
Although the floor area of the boxes is on the small side, it should be more than adequate for Swifts. The maximum width of the boxes being about 175mm and length about 270mm.
We decided not to include nest concave platforms, as, given the limited space, it may be better for the swifts themselves to decide exactly where they want to position their nests.

Nest-box in place, with bottom removed for installation

The boxes were installed by me, Dick, and Clarke Brunt by securing them with 2 screws, one each side, into the adjacent joists. The boxes are very light weight, so this is more than adequate to support them.

Installation complete, with tweeter speaker attached.

After replacing the bottom of the boxes, a tweeter driven by A Box of Swifts was attached to one box, by using double sided stickers normally used for sticking mirrors onto walls.
This is a very nice site, where the boxes are high with a lot of space in front of them, and we achieved our goal of making them virtually invisible.
There is plenty of scope for more nest-boxes in the future.

#openeaves

Boxes under sloping eaves

Pictures by Kerry Vaughan

[UPDATE July 2017: Swifts have occupied 2 boxes on the west side]

Sloping eaves can be a bit awkward, because, in general no standard box will fit nicely. We had a similar situation at Milton Road Primary School a couple of years ago, and the design used here at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Lackford Lakes is essentially the same.

The box is installed by removing the sloping front, 2 screws through the back into the wall, then replace the front.

The end result looks rather good and in keeping with the building. The Suffolk Wildlife Trust has done a great job. AND Swifts have already been seen over the lake - on 5th April!

More pictures and design drawings:

click for larger pictures

Actual dimensions will depend on the angle of the roof slope