Most swifts won’t use birdhouses. They prefer large structures with hollow cavities, partly due to the increased shelter and partly due to the decrease in competition from other bird species.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) designs, distributes plans for DIY, and sells a nesting box specifically for swifts, and instructions for where to place them on homes.
swifts nest in colonies, tend to keep the same nest for life, and require nests to be fairly high up & sheltered.
hollow bricks like this allow swifts to do what comes naturally to them, with v minimal change on our side of things, since they’re just being added during the building process & not being retrofitted.
individual bird boxes in trees etc can be great for other birds, but it’d be tough to convince swifts to use them!
Bird boxes are also super-temporary in the greater scheme of things. One property owner is a bird lady with 25 boxes, she moves- next property owner doesn’t like bird boxes 25->0 overnight.
Exactly how hard would it be to place a “cork in the hole” to render the cavity unusable? If (big if) overpopulation becomes a problem, it’s pretty easy - these days - to develop and maintain a database of most of these swift cavities, survey them from a distance to see if they are corked or not, and adjust the number of corks as appropriate to address current population trends.
I get that you don’t like the approach - but it’s a solid one, which is what works best for swifts’ nests: solid structures.
Wouldn’t it be more logical to make separate birdhouses if there is a need for them?
Most swifts won’t use birdhouses. They prefer large structures with hollow cavities, partly due to the increased shelter and partly due to the decrease in competition from other bird species.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) designs, distributes plans for DIY, and sells a nesting box specifically for swifts, and instructions for where to place them on homes.
They still need making and putting up, and they’re more obtrusive than a swift brick as they stick out instead of being embedded in the wall itself.
To note however, the RSPB were one of the main campaigners for swift bricks.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/scotland-becomes-first-uk-country-to-put-swift-bricks-into-law
Huh, fascinating! I’ve never seen these before!
swifts nest in colonies, tend to keep the same nest for life, and require nests to be fairly high up & sheltered.
hollow bricks like this allow swifts to do what comes naturally to them, with v minimal change on our side of things, since they’re just being added during the building process & not being retrofitted.
individual bird boxes in trees etc can be great for other birds, but it’d be tough to convince swifts to use them!
Bird boxes are also super-temporary in the greater scheme of things. One property owner is a bird lady with 25 boxes, she moves- next property owner doesn’t like bird boxes 25->0 overnight.
There’s kind of need for them everywhere and this is a pretty practical way to ensure they end up everywhere and will stay there.
And in 20 years, in the case of overpopulation, they would force people to search for those tiny holes in the walls.
I don’t like the approach. Reminds me of the story about China and sparrows.
Exactly how hard would it be to place a “cork in the hole” to render the cavity unusable? If (big if) overpopulation becomes a problem, it’s pretty easy - these days - to develop and maintain a database of most of these swift cavities, survey them from a distance to see if they are corked or not, and adjust the number of corks as appropriate to address current population trends.
I get that you don’t like the approach - but it’s a solid one, which is what works best for swifts’ nests: solid structures.