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Hickling Swift Project

Hickling – St Luke’s Church

A unit of five nesting compartments was installed behind the louvres in the tower of
St Luke’s Church, Hickling in April 2023.

(click + to expand)

A unit of five nesting compartments was installed behind the louvres in the tower of St Luke’s Church, Hickling in April 2023. A simple call system was installed at the same time to attract swifts to the new nesting opportunities.

The box was mounted facing east. No continuous camera system was fitted, but low-cost infrared LEDs allow discreet seasonal monitoring using a handheld portable camera.

St Luke’s, Hickling, lies approximately 1.5 miles (as the swift flies) southeast of Kinoulton, separated by open countryside and the Nottingham-Grantham Canal.

Nearby church towers include St Margaret’s, Owthorpe (around 3 miles to the northwest) and St Mary the Virgin, Nether Broughton (approximately 2 miles to the south). The churchyard is bordered by hedges, shrubs and a small number of mature trees, with burials on all sides.

Access within the tower is restricted. Sixty-four stone steps wind past the ringing chamber, the clock mechanism and up to the bells, with no suitable space for on-site construction or extended working.

Because of the access limitations, the five-compartment box was fully constructed off-site and carried up the tower for installation. The spacing of the entrances was matched to the louvres, and infrared LEDs were fitted to illuminate the compartments without disturbing the birds.

Camera access holes were included and temporarily sealed with corks until permanent fittings could be installed. A low-cost reversing camera, paired with a mobile phone, is used for box inspections. The box was made from plywood, with MDF nest forms, and a hinged rear panel for end-of-season cleaning. The front face was treated with an animal-friendly preservative. The completed unit was installed at the end of April 2023.

The call system uses a small amplifier capable of playing swift calls from a USB memory stick or SD card. A donated speaker was repurposed and mounted adjacent to the boxes. The amplifier is connected to a digital timer switch, allowing the calls to be broadcast at programmed times.

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.