Shelia gives an update on “Save Seaford’s Swifts” in for 2025 (first published in Seaford Scene April 2025)
Save Seaford’s Swifts is not just about surveying for birds, this is about helping to preserve the species. To date we have provided up to 50 nesting sites for swifts, although most of these have not yet been inhabited by the birds …..it’s become obvious that the use of swift lures are a necessity. (See more details below*).
In order to achieve a successful installation, the building needs to be no less than two storeys high, as per diagram below. We had a number of enquiries last year, quite a few as a result of an article in the Seaford Scene, but for different reasons most of these didn’t work out. Either resident’s homes were not suitable for swift boxes, or the owner decided to install their own boxes! If you were considering doing that, don’t forget the swifts return in another two months, so time is of the essence!
Below are the criteria that need to be used when assessing the feasibility of installing swift homes –
The above diagram also details information for swift bricks which is a better long term solution. Swift bricks can be installed in retrospect, although it is better to do this in the event of a new build, or complete renovation.
If you would like to help swifts by having a box installed, please check the details above and in particular, those residents who live near the locations below, it would be great to hear from you too! It has become clear that to make this project a success, as swifts are gregarious, it is important to increase the nesting sites within, or as near as possible, where known colonies exist. In Seaford there appear to be at least 4 different colonies –
- Seaford high street, including Nationwide building
- over Claremont Road, between the Baptist Church and Salisbury Road
- over the Drove Allotment, Sutton Drove.
- on the East of Seaford, between Kingston Way and Fairways Road.
*Where residents have had swift boxes installed, I am encouraging them to use swift lures, which is a means of attracting the birds to the nesting site by playing swift calls which is known as a “scream of swifts”. This is what you hear when the birds are flying together near their breeding area. It’s a wonderful evocative sound! We know this is a successful method as some residents who have used swift lures now have nesting and breeding birds! One such resident installed a number of boxes and now has at least 3 boxes that were occupied last summer and with the use of a camera, it is known that one brood was raised and successfully left the nest and it is believed that all three nests were successful!
I also really need assistance in surveying these areas once the swifts arrive late April/early May, so we can get a better understanding of where the birds are nesting, and if you would like to get involved, I’d love to hear from you.
If you are inspired to help in this project or are interested in having swift box/swift bricks installed or if you have an idea of where the birds would benefit from installation of nesting sites, please do contact me on info@seafordswifts.org.uk
Many thanks
Sheila Lothian
