NESTBOXES FOR SWIFTS
Swifts (Apus Apus) are extraordinary birds. They spend their whole lives on the wing, only landing to raise their young. Most of the year is spent feeding in the skies of East Africa, migrating north to cooler climates every summer in order to breed, arriving in April and leaving in July.
Swifts use cavities in the walls and roof eaves of buildings to lay their eggs and raise their young. Here in the UK we are inadvertently removing nest sites as buildings are renovated, the main reason that the population has plummeted by 70% since 1995. One thing we can do to help is install swift boxes in suitable locations.
There is no record of swifts breeding in the parish in recent years although they do so nearby in the centre of Stroud and some nearby towns and villages. A plan to encourage these wonderful birds to the valley was made a reality when in 2025 a Stroud District Council Nature and Climate Grant was awarded to the Parish Council. This allowed the purchase and installation of twelve nest boxes in the parish, each fitted with electronic callers to attract swifts flying nearby.
The twelve nest boxes were carefully chosen and sited to suit swifts checking out the neighbourhood for a new nest site. The easiest box to spot is a handsome four-tier corner box mounted high up on Ruscombe chapel. Most though are double boxes which provide protection and separate nesting hollows for two pairs. All have bat backs, a false back creating a slim space with an opening at the base allowing bats to roost the whole year round.
In the first year, 2026, swifts have regularly been seen flying overhead at Whiteshill and the lower part of Ruscombe near the farm. Three boxes were regularly visited by a group of five or six probably young non-breeding birds. In 2027 it is hoped that a couple of boxes may be occupied and possibly even host a successful breeding pair.
A more detailed report on the swift project can be found here:
There is fascinating information online about swifts in the UK – for example:
Sue Richards suerichards@phonecoop.coop
Nigel Pitel nigelpitel@gmail.com