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Nether Broughton Swift Project

Nether Broughton village, Leicestershire

Swifts within the village have been declining as buildings have been modernised. Local villagers are now adding swift boxes to suitable farm and house buildings before these birds are no longer able to breed here.

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Our fourth project area is situated 4.5km south of Kinoulton and 3km south of Hickling.  Nether Broughton, at the head of the Vale of Belvoir is an historic village recorded in the Domesday book, and swifts, swallows and house martins are remembered nesting here.  All three species have been declining due to modernisation of buildings but some house owners are now putting up swift boxes

The most successful of these has been at a Farm in the centre of the village.

Two RSPB swift boxes were erected in the spring of 2023 and attraction calls were played from a nearby 1st floor window.  We were all very surprised when not one but two pairs of swifts took up residence immediately and from external observations we believe they were both successful breeders but we had no absolute proof as there were no cameras in the boxes.

The owners can remember swifts screaming around the house and nesting in the attic space prior to a loft conversion some 15 or more years ago. Were the swifts so quick and eager to return because the nests were ideally situated or because they remembered the old family nesting site from 15 years ago?

The following year, flushed with success two more RSPB boxes were placed either side of the first two and we fitted one of them with a camera.  Once again, a pair of swifts took up residence of the new box at the beginning of May and the children were delighted to watch the birds nesting on TV.

The pair were settling in nicely but the next day a third swift came along repeatedly banging on the box before entering and trying to take over.  Fights ensued with two swifts locked together claw to claw until one was ousted but the intruding swift kept flying around the garden screaming at the pair inside and repeatedly returning to fight.  We set a DVD recorder to record from the nest box camera and watched the battle going on all afternoon until dusk when the original pair were finally left in peace.

The pair were settling in nicely but the next day a third swift came along repeatedly banging on the box before entering and trying to take over.  Fights ensued with two swifts locked together claw to claw until one was ousted but the intruding swift kept flying around the garden screaming at the pair inside and repeatedly returning to fight.  We set a DVD recorder to record from the nest box camera and watched the battle going on all afternoon until dusk when the original pair were finally left in peace.

Why was the ‘intruder’ swift so desperate to claim this brand-new box when other boxes were still empty alongside?   We think it must have been one of the pair that bred in the right-hand box of the original two boxes and it hadn’t realised that ‘his’ box was no longer at the end of the row.  We were fortunate that this happened in the box we fitted with a camera, and we could watch the struggle going on both inside and out.

By monitoring the boxes from outside we later confirmed that 3 pairs of swifts were regularly using at least 3 of the 4 boxes.

In 2025 three more boxes were placed on an extension at the other end of the farmhouse making seven in total.  It was not thought likely that swifts would occupy these extra boxes because the roofline was lower and access flight paths were not so perfect and House Sparrows moved in early in the year just as they did in the first four boxes.  When the swifts arrived back in early May, they immediately started to take back control of their previous nesting sites in the first four boxes and we could see on camera that swifts were now nesting on top of the large pile of grass and straw brought in by the house sparrows.    We didn’t expect them to challenge the sparrows in the 3 newest boxes, but the swifts had other ideas.  There were more swifts around this year looking for nest sites and they soon came swooping and screaming past the 3 new boxes and banging on the entrances before venturing in.  Two of the new boxes were taken over by the swifts but the sparrows in the third box held fast and probably raised a second or third broods.  Common swifts only have one brood.

This year 2025 we monitored pairs of swifts in five of the seven nest boxes and there have been a lot more screaming parties flying around the village than in recent years.

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.