Page 63 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #06

SWIFTS

Older buildings
with cavities in
brickwork, under
slates and behind
the eaves are great
for nesting swifts.

Tiered nestboxes
installed by
Dick. Right: the
Cambridge Swift
Tower. Bottom:
Dick and a friend
watch swiftcams.

SAVING SWIFTS
THE ENGINEER
Dick Newell, Landbeach, Cambridgeshire

Swifts are my obsession. made by birds nesting right
After retiring from running a above our heads.
software company in 2002, I’ve helped to install many
I turned my hand to designing nestbox projects across East
swift nestboxes and nest Anglia, and also give advice to
bricks, making them easier for people all over the country –
builders and DIYprojects. My many hear of me through the
background in computer-aided Action for Swifts blog.
design has been a huge help. Another project has been the
Our house hosted 11 pairs ‘Swift Tower’art installation at
of swifts last year, some Logan’s Meadow in Cambridge.
monitored by CCTV, and one It looks fabulous, but has only
of our swifts was among the attracted three pairs of swifts
earliest to be fitted with a so far – the jury is out on
geolocator logger as part of a whether free-standing swift
BTO study. My wife Vida and towers are cost-efective.
I find it awe-inspiring to know One of our great successes
the amazing journeys has been churches –
t h he towers are already
th here! Worlington’s
h
c hurch tower in
Sufolk has over 40
S
s wift nestboxes, with
o over 30 pairs in 2017,
a and we have 60
b
boxes at St John’s
c
church in Bury St
Edmunds.A lot of
other churches now
want to get on board.
June 2018 BBC Wildlife 63