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The idverde/RSPB partnership is awaiting the arrival of swifts in the Midlands this year with more excitement and anticipation than usual. It is always a special moment when the piercing cry of these amazing birds can be heard for the first time in spring, high above the rooftops.
This year could bring added pleasure if the birds return to the purpose-built nest boxes fitted inside Holy Trinity Church, Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire. The quest to help these declining, red-listed champions of the skies with nesting and breeding in the area began 5 years ago.
The RSPB and business partner, idverde, recognised that some of the churches – where idverde manages the grounds – would be ideal for installing swift boxes. These high-flying aeronauts need access to summer nesting sites, and they favour taller buildings. Their nesting options have become limited due to modern construction methods offering fewer accessible cavities.
A solution to this problem is to replicate those cavities with swift bricks or, in this case, swift boxes. Manufacturing boxes in substantial numbers at a price that is affordable and sustainable is often a challenge, but thankfully, the project was able to draw on a long-standing RSPB partnership.
RSPB and idverde have been collaborating with The Ministry of Justice at HMP Humber – a Category C Prison- since 2020, ensuring a ready supply of swift boxes have been made by prisoners, from upcycled timber. The collaboration has the advantage of giving those prisoners new skills, work experience, and engagement with the natural world.
Manufacturing nesting boxes in the prison workshop helps to focus prisoners and build social skills, which are important for their rehabilitation. They develop theoretical and practical skills in a sociable environment, whilst building confidence – setting them up for employment in the community and in local industries, which can lead to the chain of reoffending being broken. The HMP Humber collaboration also significantly reduces the cost of the boxes, which has enabled many more churches to take part in the project.
As swifts nest in colonies, they need encouragement to find and imprint suitable sites, usually aided by hearing the calls from birds in established nests from previous seasons. This is where the next part of this elaborate jigsaw fits in – the swift caller. The RSPB’s Conservation Science Team has developed small solar-powered devices which mimic communal swift calls and can be timed to emit the sound in the early mornings and evenings when swifts are at lower altitudes.
Callers placed near nest sites have been found to encourage faster occupation. Armed with boxes and callers, all the partnership had to do was install them in suitable spots. This is not as easy as it sounds, as there are agreements to be reached with all parties involved and assurances that the buildings’ integrity is maintained.
At Barrow upon Soar, the louvres and windows of the church tower were the perfect size and location so boxes could be fitted without being unsightly and yet still visible to swifts. The project team were delighted last year when Holy Trinity’s Bell Captain reported hearing calls in one of the boxes. Further investigation in January 2026 revealed that three of the boxes had visible signs of use, including feathers lined around a nesting cup and droppings in the box.
The birds, which mate for life, will imprint the nest and should return this year, if they survive the arduous six-week migration from Africa. Ross Bray, RSPB’s Community and Nature Engagement Adviser in the Midlands, said the partnership was delighted to have evidence that swifts had been attracted to the boxes at Holy Trinity and that three had been used.
“These are the first of 120 boxes we have installed over four years that have been used. The birds’ quick response to these boxes took us all by surprise – although it helped that there was already a colony of swifts in the village. We are looking forward to seeing them come back this year and hopefully raise young.
We are planning to install cameras in the three successful boxes to monitor their activity and highlight the plight of the declining swift. It may also be possible to ring the swiftlets to enable tracking, aid identification, and support ongoing research into their decline. We are confident that the success of these boxes in Barrow upon Soar will encourage more churches in the Midlands region to take part.”
Churches are not the only buildings swifts will consider. If you think they are in your area and you have a suitable property, you can buy a swift box or make one. You can also use your phone and Bluetooth speaker to emit calls early morning and late evening during the summer months, but only if you are trying to attract them to your boxes.
For more information, visit: www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/create-a-high-home-for-swifts
