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Duchy Big Bird Box survey 2020
There seems to be a gathering momentum for provisioning nest places for cavity-nesting birds in new development, particularly in the south west, where the Duchy has an ambitious policy of providing an...
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PVC nest boxes
Some years ago, I visited a friend, Maurice Wilkinson, who had an array of nestboxes for Swifts and House Martins on his house, with a high occupancy rate. Some of the Swift boxes were made of PVC,...
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Cottenham Village Hall
Triangular colony boxes in the apex of a gable have become quite popular. We were presented with an opportunity in a gable which had projecting beams, which could have limited the size of the triangle....
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SAW 2021 Events
Sat 3rd -Sun 11th July Swift Awareness Week begins today!Search for an event near you here #SwiftAwarenessWeek
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An Appreciation of Judith Wakelam
Judith releasing a Swift. Photo Nick UptonJudith's involvement with swifts began thirty years ago when she went to see the late Chris Mead for advice on what to do with a grounded adult swift she had...
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Low budget Swift Tower- Brigsteer Wetlands Reserve
Although Swift Towers can be quite expensive, it doesn't have to be that way if you use a simple design and volunteer labour. This is a good strategy, as Swift towers are known to be difficult to...
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External Wall Insulation
With the drive towards zero carbon, external wall insulation (EWI) on older houses will result in the loss of many Swifts and bats, but it is also an opportunity to provide many more nest places. In...
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A New Wildlife Tower
Back in 2015, we visited Nick Watts at Vine House Farm in Lincolnshire, where we saw his wildlife towers, which we thought were a fine inspiration for a tower suitable for Swifts as well. This vision...
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A proposed Swift Tower Design
I have to admit luke-warm enthusiasm for swift towers because so few can demonstrate success. However, we have enjoyed success with the Trumpington Community Orchard Swift Tower, and at least one other...
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Another Cambridge System implementation
The Cambridge System seems to be well-liked by Swifts. Perhaps they like the seclusion afforded by having to travel through a tunnel to reach their nesting place. Wherever there is unused roof-space,...
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Nest place in a thick brick wall
A number of times we have implemented nest places for Swifts in thick brick walls (e.g. here), this is just another example where we did something slightly different. The wall in question is about 35...
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Dark and light interiors
I was idly scrolling through some old Facebook posts when I came across a post describing the additional 24 nest boxes that we installed at Edgecombe flats in 2021 where I was reminded that we...
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