How to Support Swifts

Swifts have declined by more than 50% in just the last 20 years; Conservationists think that a lack of nest sites could be partly to blame. By installing a nest box, we can give a swift a place to rest and raise a family.

Through our Wilder Gardens project we are aiming to provide the foraging in the garden for the swifts and are encouraging folk to erect a nest box and help us look after them from May to August.

This article gives you a step by step guide (with photos) to building your own swift box.

There is very little green spaces in our Towns and therefore barely any roost and nesting site. Thus, improving our homes and community centres for wildlife is the only way we can help our biodiversity across the Greenhavens.

The nest boxes will benefit endangered swifts and please tell us if you already know where swifts are nesting and if you can, please complete the swift mapper which is collating the data across the UK Swift Mapper | The RSPB

Swifts come over from Africa every year, returning to the same nest year after year – they like older houses, and love eaves and crevices.  They are amazing birds, they eat, mate and sleep on the wing, so the only time they land anywhere is to build a nest, and breed.  They need a clear path to the nest which is created high up in buildings in the eaves and from where they are able to drop into the air as they leave the nest. 

We are working closely with Swifts – The Sussex Ornithological Society (sos.org.uk) and would love to thank David Campbell who has been invaluable in helping us get this project off to a flying start.

We buy our swift boxes from the volunteer Monday Group who raise funds locally for wildlife through ours and others donations, Hand-crafted Bird Boxes and Habitats – The Monday Group

Through our work, a Seaford Swift group is now in its infancy and we really now would like to see one started for Newhaven and Peacehaven.

Swift / photo by Nick Upton/NPL via the guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2018/jun/21/saving-britains-swifts-in-pictures. Swifts / photo via the RSPB https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/conservation-and-sustainability/safeguarding-species/swiftmapper. Seaford Swifts Group photos by Karen Rigby-Faux.