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About Us

About Us

Vale of Belvoir Swifts is an informal group of like-minded individuals committed to helping address the decline in swift populations within the largely rural, agricultural landscape of the Vale of Belvoir.

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Our main aim has been the establishment of a stable swift colony in Kinoulton, a village around 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Nottingham. The colony is based in the tower of St Luke’s Church providing long-term nesting opportunities and strong support from the local community. This sense of permanence is vital for a species that depends on reliable nesting sites year after year.

Since the first attempts to establish the Kinoulton colony in 2011, the project has proved highly successful. The tower now contains 40 nesting boxes, supporting more than 25 breeding pairs and producing over 50 swiftlets each year. Building on this success, we are developing satellite colonies in nearby village church towers. Trial boxes were installed in St Margaret’s Church, Owthorpe in 2016, and further boxes were added to St Lukes Church, Hickling in 2023. In addition, several private householders in the area have installed prefabricated swift boxes.

We design and build bespoke swift nest boxes, installing them within church towers in consultation with each church’s Parochial Church Council. The boxes are accessed by swifts through existing louvres, avoiding any alteration to the external appearance of the buildings. To help swifts locate and adopt new nesting sites, pre-recorded attraction calls are played during the initial stages.

All nest boxes are carefully monitored by our group, both through regular physical checks and, in some cases, by non-invasive remote cameras that do not disturb the birds.

Alongside practical conservation work, we actively promote awareness of swifts and their conservation needs. Each summer we host an open evening at St Luke’s Church, Kinoulton, and we share our experience and understanding with others who wish to support and conserve swift populations in their own local areas.

Involving the community

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

Helping others understand swifts and the extraordinary nature of their migration has always been central to the project. To support this, additional nest cameras have been installed and a large screen placed in St Luke’s Church, displaying live footage from up to 35 nests simultaneously.

St Luke’s Church has a progressive approach to using the building as a community resource. Coffee mornings, a weekly post office service, playgroups, musical events and meetings of local groups all take place within the adapted nave. As a result, live footage of nesting swifts is viewed by a wide range of people, including local primary school pupils, youth groups, villagers and visitors.

The developmental stages of selected nests are followed throughout the season. Visitors are encouraged to note key stages for each breeding pair, including egg laying, hatching, chick development and preparation for fledging. These records contribute to a growing dataset that tracks the colony’s progress from year to year.

Alongside monitoring the colony, the project continues to experiment with camera technology, participate in the national Action for Swifts network, and provide advice on suitable nest box designs for domestic buildings. Support is also offered to nearby communities wishing to establish their own swift conservation projects.

In recent years the group has supported national Swift Awareness Week by hosting informal open evenings at the church and in the surrounding grounds, with talks, live nest footage and displays. In 2026, the launch of this website marks the next stage of engagement, with two nests live-streamed to YouTube for wider public viewing.

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.