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Kinoulton Swift Project

Swifts in the Church Tower

Just in time – keeping swifts in Kinoulton and then building a sustainable colony for the future.

(click + to expand)

In the winter of 2010, the last house in the village known to host swifts was re-roofed, removing the birds’ final traditional nesting site. This prompted Carol Collins to explore whether swift nest boxes could be incorporated into the church tower as part of the churchyard conservation project she had established with support from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

The church tower was well suited to swifts, being close to the canal, which forms part of a wider wildlife corridor, and surrounded by rough pasture, hedgerows and village gardens providing rich foraging habitat.

In February 2011, following a visit to St Mary’s Church in Ely to inspect existing installations and with the agreement of the church wardens, the first nest box was designed and built. It comprised ten nesting compartments and was installed behind the north-facing louvres in the spring. Loudspeakers were added to broadcast amplified swift calls to attract prospecting birds.

It is unusual for swifts to occupy newly installed boxes in their first season. However, on 7 May 2011, a pair was observed circling the tower and investigating the calls, before entering the upper compartment two days later. A second pair soon followed. Whether these birds were displaced from nearby sites is unknown, but their arrival marked the beginning of the colony.

Interest in the site increased each year. A second box of ten compartments was added to the east side of the tower in 2012, along with the first nest camera and a television screen at the rear of the church. Two further sets of compartments were installed on the south and west elevations in spring 2014, bringing the total number of nest compartments to forty.

Since the first occupation in 2011, the colony has continued to grow. By 2025, a total of 414 young swifts had successfully fledged from the church tower.

Summer accommodation for swifts - compartment design and construction

Getting the process right – sharing ideas, understanding swift breeding behaviour and safe working.

Before any work began, we held detailed discussions with the church wardens and members of the Parochial Church Council. It was agreed that no drilling would take place into the tower walls and that no more than one third of the louvred openings would be covered.

Swifts characteristically fly to the highest available entrance when prospecting for breeding sites, which led us to favour the upper third of the louvres, including the crescent-shaped opening. Several designs were drafted before we settled on a single large wooden structure incorporating ten compartments.

Accurate alignment of the entrances with the gaps between the louvres was achieved using a full-size brown paper template. On a bright day the paper was held against the louvre opening and all relevant reference points marked. These were then transferred into a working drawing, with additional detail added in stages. The final form of the structure was determined by the existing church fabric and the dimensions and design of the louvres themselves.

We agreed standard internal dimensions for each compartment: 8 inches wide, 8 inches high and a minimum length of 10 inches. Although swifts are known to breed successfully in more confined spaces, these dimensions were chosen to allow room for movement, wing exercise and adequate air circulation within an enclosed structure. Each entrance measures 28 mm high by 45 mm wide, a size that prevents occupation by starlings before the swifts return. The chambers are left open
throughout the winter and temporarily blocked in mid-February, then reopened when the first swifts are reported arriving in England, usually in mid-April.

From the outset, we also had to consider access constraints within the tower and the small size of the access hatch. It became clear that the structure would need to be dismantled and effectively ‘flat-packed’ once constructed. All components were carried up the tower individually and then carefully reassembled in situ.

We were fortunate that the area above the bells provided a solid boarded floor and a safe working environment. Our principal health and safety concern was the large church clock bell in the corner, which tolled every hour. Ear defenders were essential, as was setting a mobile phone alarm with a five-minute warning — a routine that quickly became second nature.

The photographs below illustrate the process of dismantling, transport, reassembly and final installation:

Before any work began, we held detailed discussions with the church stewards and members of the Parochial Church Council. It was agreed that no drilling would take place into the tower walls and that no more than one third of the louvred openings would be covered.

Swifts characteristically fly to the highest available entrance when prospecting for breeding sites, which led us to favour the upper third of the louvres, including the crescent-shaped opening. Several designs were drafted before we settled on a single large wooden structure incorporating ten compartments.

Accurate alignment of the entrances with the gaps between the louvres was achieved using a full-size brown paper template. On a bright day the paper was held against the louvre opening and all relevant reference points marked. These were then transferred into a working drawing, with additional detail added in stages. The final form of the structure was determined by the existing church fabric and the dimensions and design of the louvres themselves.

We agreed standard internal dimensions for each compartment: 8 inches wide, 8 inches high and a minimum length of 10 inches. Although swifts are known to breed successfully in more confined spaces, these dimensions were chosen to allow room for movement, wing exercise and adequate air circulation within an enclosed structure. Each entrance measures 28 mm high by 45 mm wide, a size that prevents occupation by starlings before the swifts return. The chambers are left open
throughout the winter and temporarily blocked in mid-February, then reopened when the first swifts are reported arriving in England, usually in mid-April.

From the outset, we also had to consider access constraints within the tower and the small size of the access hatch. It became clear that the structure would need to be dismantled and effectively ‘flat-packed’ once constructed. All components were carried up the tower individually and then carefully reassembled in situ.

We were fortunate that the area above the bells provided a solid boarded floor and a safe working environment. Our principal health and safety concern was the large church clock bell in the corner, which tolled every hour. Ear defenders were essential, as was setting a mobile phone alarm with a five-minute warning — a routine that quickly became second nature.

Before any work began, we held detailed discussions with the church stewards and members of the Parochial Church Council. It was agreed that no drilling would take place into the tower walls and that no more than one third of the louvred openings would be covered.

Swifts characteristically fly to the highest available entrance when prospecting for breeding sites, which led us to favour the upper third of the louvres, including the crescent-shaped opening. Several designs were drafted before we settled on a single large wooden structure incorporating ten compartments.

Accurate alignment of the entrances with the gaps between the louvres was achieved using a full-size brown paper template. On a bright day the paper was held against the louvre opening and all relevant reference points marked. These were then transferred into a working drawing, with additional detail added in stages. The final form of the structure was determined by the existing church fabric and the dimensions and design of the louvres themselves.

We agreed standard internal dimensions for each compartment: 8 inches wide, 8 inches high and a minimum length of 10 inches. Although swifts are known to breed successfully in more confined spaces, these dimensions were chosen to allow room for movement, wing exercise and adequate air circulation within an enclosed structure. Each entrance measures 28 mm high by 45 mm wide, a size that prevents occupation by starlings before the swifts return. The chambers are left open
throughout the winter and temporarily blocked in mid-February, then reopened when the first swifts are reported arriving in England, usually in mid-April.

From the outset, we also had to consider access constraints within the tower and the small size of the access hatch. It became clear that the structure would need to be dismantled and effectively ‘flat-packed’ once constructed. All components were carried up the tower individually and then carefully reassembled in situ.

We were fortunate that the area above the bells provided a solid boarded floor and a safe working environment. Our principal health and safety concern was the large church clock bell in the corner, which tolled every hour. Ear defenders were essential, as was setting a mobile phone alarm with a five-minute warning — a routine that quickly became second nature.