Swift bricks: universal nest bricks that conform with BS42021:2022, providing for a variety of cavity nesting birds.
Might be a bit optimistic to get this species using them....
#swifts
Very happy to be talking Hertfordshire Swifts at the Herts Bird Club conference
Thank you @nicwilson.bsky.social - can I use the photo please?
I can contact councillors and report planning breaches. We prefer to engage with site managers at an early stage of the build, but there just isn't time to do this everywhere
The problem is that I just expect it. Less than half of the 800 bricks and boxes checked so far have been installed so it doesn't surprise me at all
Out once again, checking if Swift bricks are installed as required by planning conditions in Hertfordshire.
Disappointing as usual, this time in Cheshunt:
Site 1: 1 out of 20 bricks installed
Site 2: none out of 15 bricks installed.
Have emailed both developers to try and resolve #hertsbirds
This is becoming a pervasive issue, for example involving the sidelining of actual experts and the heaping of pressure on regulatory bodies to move forward with dubious (re)introductions. A quick ecology 101 for ‘conservation gurus’. Thread 🌍🦗🦋🪶🦬🧪1/
Pretty big debate over this Redstart I found yesterday (either Common [European FOY as of Ebird] or Moussier's [one of a handful of Malta records])
White eyering, Orangish-red tail, orangish belly and whitish vent under tail
@birdlifemalta.bsky.social
Thank you, 6 months on and I am still quite tired!!
My personal conclusion from this: the more you survey for Swift nests, the more you will find, and there are always more Swift nests than you think there are.
Many thanks to all those that took part and in particular the Swift Group surveyors who put in huge amounts of work 7/7
This leads to the conclusion that the Herts Swift population is in the region of 2.5k to 3k pairs, if not higher. We also believe that if survey work were to be carried out intensively elsewhere, far more nests would be found than suspected, with implications for national population estimates 6/7
This is because although records have come from all over the county, intensive survey work has not been carried out in many towns, especially in the western and southern parts of Hertfordshire – and no evening surveys have been done in many areas. 5/7
The map and table show the Swift hotspots in the county – however we are of the view that there are a lot more Swift nests to be found, and that considerably less than half of the Swift nests have been recorded this year. 4/7
Three towns reached the milestone of joining the “100 club”: Hertford (144 nests), Hitchin (118 nests and Bishop’s Stortford (100 nests), the latter being home to the fabulous colony at Redwood Court which recorded a minimum of 43 nests in a single building. 3/7
The survey is a result of collaboration between several Swift groups, who undertook many hundreds of hours of survey work, both using the traditional survey method where observations take place of Swifts entering and exiting nest sites, and the “call and response” method best used early morning 2/7
2025 Hertfordshire Swift Nest Survey
It is finally time to share the results of our nest survey from last year:
The survey recorded a total of 1080 Swift nests in the county, with 95 of these (8.8%) being in Swift boxes or bricks. 1/7
My favourite Google Street View image so far. Two Swift bricks in Hastings with a (probable) House Sparrow having a good look inside
Swift bricks are brilliant universal nest bricks and the best biodiversity enhancements for new developments
2025 has been a fun year for me: 2 Swift walks led, 81 Swift boxes put up*, and best of all 466 Swift nests found, all in Hertfordshire.
Looking forward to more of the same in 2026.
*Actually, stood holding the ladder
#hertsbirds
Swift bricks are fantastic biodiversity enhancements: as universal nest bricks, they provide cavities for a number of species of birds, and in Herts we campaign extensively for them.
Here are my thoughts on why the announcement that they will be required on all new homes is not as good as it seems:
Thanks will do
As the writer of the corvid section of the Herts Bird report, I can't disagree. I can liven up the text for Rook and Raven with meaningful breeding data, but the rest are a struggle
Can you point me towards the Lapwing? I assume it must be hidimg behind the Red Grouse
Opinions, please - Pallid or Common Swift? Whichever it is, the chances of it recently fledging as suggested in the post seem remote
It’s out in time for Christmas. Again! #hertsbirds #ukbirding
Great to be at the Swifts Local Network conference in Lancaster today, hearing so many interesting talks and meeting fellow Swift conservationists.
Events like this really provide inspiration for more Swift conservation work in the future - a big thank you to the organisers
Legacy of a Labour Baroness who voted against Swift Bricks
@hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social
I think the way social media presents conversations like this doesn't help. If this was a face to face discussion it wouldn't end up as an argument.
However, think about it this way. Hertfordshire has around 5000 houses built each year. Is 357 Swift bricks over the last 5 years really enough?
My first comment was in relation to voluntary installation, which is extremely limited. In my experience, developers will do the bare minimum or forget to install at all
If the Homes for Nature commitment is honoured, then it will be excellent news, but experience so far suggests that it won't be
Here is evidence from Hertfordshire as to compliance with planning conditions for Swift bricks. 106 developments visited and less than half of the required bricks installed.
We have no voluntary installations in the county
See my other post. There are 8 bird boxes on a large development, only some of which are Swift bricks. This is almost certainly doing the minimum to comply with a planning requirement
