During the Summer months, swifts spend four months in Europe during which time they breed and raise their young. Natural nesting sites for this species have drastically declined and so they have become accustomed to utilising our urban areas to find appropriate nesting places. In modern and renovated houses, often these spaces (e.g. under roofs, attics or roof tiles) are blocked or inaccessible and so returning swifts struggle to find sufficient breeding spaces. Installing a swift box on your building is a great way to help these birds and to ensure their continued presence in our surroundings.
This nest box can be installed within an external wall (to a maximum depth is 17cm in order to prevent the underneath entrance hole being blocked). It can also be attached to the surface of an external wall (or within render or an external insulation layer) with the use of a fixing bracket. The box can be painted, if desired, using standard air-permeable external wall paint.
The box is specifically designed to attract swifts and should ideally be sited 6 to 7m above the ground. It can be placed on any external wall but ensure unobstructed access for birds entering and leaving by having a clear distance (drop) below the box (preferably 5m or more). Whilst cleaning and inspection is not necessary, the box can be easily accessed by removing the front panel.