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I AM A SWIFT - 2nd edition
In 2011 Action for Swifts published the 1st edition of 'I am a swift - I am in trouble'. Since then it has been reprinted twice plus an Irish version, with some new ideas was produced by Lynda Huxley,...
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Fulbourn Community Swift Survey 2014
The nest boxing project at the 'The Swifts' housing estate in Fulbourn, Cambs is probably the largest and most successful in the country. You can read background information in Fulbourn Community Swift...
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Screamer the Swift - a review
AfS produced and published a booklet called 'I am a Swift, I am in trouble' (viewable here). It was aimed at children, but was so popular with adults too that we revised it to give it more universal...
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Swift Conservation at Ecobuild
On 5th March, I had the pleasure of spending a day with Edward Mayer on Swift Conservation's exhibition stand at Ecobuild. Contributed by DickHeld at the Excel, Ecobuild is the world's biggest...
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More Swift boxes in St Neots church
In 2007, we installed 12 Swift boxes in the north side of the belfry of St Mary the Virgin, St Neots. Most years, attraction calls have been played and in 2014, 9 of the 12 boxes were occupied. With...
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Eaves nest box design tool
We have built quite a few Swift nest boxes to fit under broad eaves. Some eaves are horizontal and some slope at an angle. The angle and width of the eaves varies. Every time I generate a new drawing,...
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Milton Road Primary School upgrade
In 2010, 4 DIY swift boxes were installed, one of which was occupied that year (see story). In 2011, 2 more boxes and a camera were added. In 2014 we added a 2nd camera, by which time all 6 boxes were...
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Gable end Swift cabinet
Gable ends are often a good opportunity for Swift boxes because of their height. This gable end, in Reach, Cambs., faces north-west and is high, so very suitable.[Postscript July 2015: the pair nesting...
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More experiences of retrofitting internal Swift boxes
There are a number of examples on this blog of retrofitted nestboxes in a roof-space, behind a gable end (e.g. here, here and here). We had not ourselves done this by using a core drill to make a hole...
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Milton Country Park, Cambridge
Milton Country Park is an attractive local amenity, with trees, open spaces, lakes and a visitor centre. The visitor centre provides a suitable opportunity for some Swift boxes on one of its gable...
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Beijing Swift project preliminary results
Action for Swifts is delighted to have been involved in the Beijing Swift project where we attached 31 geolocators to Swifts at the Summer Palace in 2014 (see story). On 24th May 2015 we retrapped 13...
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Maiden Tower, Baku, Azerbaijan update
We previously reported on the Swifts in the Maiden Tower hereIt was one of the most stimulating talks at the Cambridge International Swift ConferenceMaiden Tower on the left, nest boxes o the rightP {...
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Another gable in the sun
My daughter and son-in-law decided they would like a Swift box on their Elsworth, Cambs house. The only viable place was at the top of a west-southwest facing gable end.[Postscript: On July 1st 2015,...
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Trumpington Swift Tower 2015 update
The tower is appreciated by the localWood Pigeons (click to enlarge)The Trumpington Community Orchard Swift Tower was erected in October 2013 (see story), and its first full season was 2014. Although...
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Swifts get established in Dry Drayton
This is the story of a Cambridgeshire Village, originally with no known breeding Swifts, but now with a street with a growing Swift population.by Rowena Baxter Photos: Clive CooperDuring June 2008 I...
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Swift boxes in the sun - by Clarke Brunt
The normal advice for Swift nest boxes is to avoid south-facing walls. The real issue is to not subject breeding Swifts to high temperatures. South-facing walls are fine with the right kind of nest...
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Birdfair 2015
We need not have doubted our decision to take a stand at Birdfair, billed as 'The international wildlife event of the year' 2015. It was busy, exhausting, exhilarating and we got to talk to hundreds...
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A new swift tower in Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Swift towers are going up everywhere from Northern Ireland to Poland, and from England to Germany. The design, materials and methods for erection and maintenance are varied. Do they work? Occupancy...
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Internal Swift nest boxes in a Belgian school
This project demonstrates a technique that has been used several times in the UK, but using commercial, off-the shelf products. Though possibly more expensive, the end result looks very professional....
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The News from Tashkent 2015
Our Uzbeki friends, Pavel and Elena, began rescuing and rehabbing a few years back, and now their work has grown into a major operation. Operating in difficult circumstances, with very little help,...
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