The Swift Project
|
|
Over the past four years, RDS Natural Environment Committee has been actively encouraging greater awareness of the steep decline in the numbers of swifts in the England and particularly in Romsey, primarily as a result of a loss of potential nesting sites. We started with a Swift Walk around the centre of Romsey in June 2017, led by Tim Norriss who was instrumental in setting up Hampshire Swifts https://www.hampshireswifts.co.uk A look at this fascinating website will give you all the information you need on how to help stem the decline by providing nesting boxes on your own home. You can have advice on a suitable location for boxes and can also buy your boxes through the website at an excellent price.
There has not been a survey of the swifts in Romsey over the past two years as a result of Covid restrictions, but we do know that at least 45 boxes have been installed in and around Romsey town centre. There is certainly a small nucleus of established nesting sites and it’s vital that we try to expand this as much as we can. RDS NEC was instrumental in ensuring that 20 next boxes were fitted into the soffits of the Visitor Information Centre in Church Street, when roof renovations were undertaken, before Covid arrived. Although we know that sparrows immediately took up residence, we do not know whether swifts have also used these boxes. There are several boxes on the Abbey Rooms, where, in the nesting season you may hear the sound of swifts calling, but up to now this has been a recording to attract swifts to the newly installed nest boxes. We know that several boxes have been fitted to properties in Greatbridge Road, and hopefully this year’s survey will tell if the swifts have adopted them. There are certainly swifts in and around Middlebridge Street and Riverside Gardens, where it would be good to increase the number of available boxes. If you would like to assist by putting up some boxes, please get in touch with Swift Conservation on the link above.
Once in place the boxes are trouble free and when they have adopted them, swifts will use them year after year. Unlike swallows and house martins, swifts are very clean residents, leaving little sign of their occupation. But the reward of watching them soaring above you, hearing them screeching in the sky and swooping into the nest boxes is the greatest reward of all.
There has not been a survey of the swifts in Romsey over the past two years as a result of Covid restrictions, but we do know that at least 45 boxes have been installed in and around Romsey town centre. There is certainly a small nucleus of established nesting sites and it’s vital that we try to expand this as much as we can. RDS NEC was instrumental in ensuring that 20 next boxes were fitted into the soffits of the Visitor Information Centre in Church Street, when roof renovations were undertaken, before Covid arrived. Although we know that sparrows immediately took up residence, we do not know whether swifts have also used these boxes. There are several boxes on the Abbey Rooms, where, in the nesting season you may hear the sound of swifts calling, but up to now this has been a recording to attract swifts to the newly installed nest boxes. We know that several boxes have been fitted to properties in Greatbridge Road, and hopefully this year’s survey will tell if the swifts have adopted them. There are certainly swifts in and around Middlebridge Street and Riverside Gardens, where it would be good to increase the number of available boxes. If you would like to assist by putting up some boxes, please get in touch with Swift Conservation on the link above.
Once in place the boxes are trouble free and when they have adopted them, swifts will use them year after year. Unlike swallows and house martins, swifts are very clean residents, leaving little sign of their occupation. But the reward of watching them soaring above you, hearing them screeching in the sky and swooping into the nest boxes is the greatest reward of all.
