Why fit a swift caller?
Swift Callers are worth their weight in gold and are essential in encouraging swifts to occupy new nesting places.
Callers work because swifts prefer to nest close to one another in the safety of communal colonies. By playing calls, you are effectively broadcasting the sound of a colony so prospecting swifts will come along and investigate the possibility of a potential nesting space for themselves.
What is a swift caller?
Callers are made up of:
- a small speaker, which should be fixed as close to the nest entrance as possible
- a long speaker cable which comes into your house through a window
- a mini amp which you control in your home
- a memory stick preloaded with swift calls
It’s also a good idea to buy a simple plug timer so you can plug it in, set the timer and forget about it.
Where can I buy a swift caller?
You can make your own. Our fabulous friends at Chirk Swifts have a great instruction video here.
However, for those like us, who are ‘electronically challenged’, here’s a list of swift callers currently available from the UK. Please contact the supplier to discuss specifications before making your purchase.
The solar powered caller, is particularly useful for remote nesting spots such as swift towers, churches or where an electricity supply isn’t close by.
Fitting your caller
It is much cheaper and easier for you to fit your caller at the same time as you install your brick or box. However, if you’ve had your box up a while without success, we strongly recommend installing a caller now as they are the nearest thing to a ‘silver bullet’ in attracting our precious swifts. Our fitter, Jan of Nest Box Installations, can fit your caller for you.
An Installation service at eaves level starts at £60.
If you prefer, you can play the calls from an open window as close to the nest entrance as possible. Swift Conservation has a cd or an MP3 version of the call you need here or we can supply a mixed collection of calls with silences in between. Email us here and we would be happy to send you these calls.
When to play calls
In short, play swift calls for at least an hour after dawn and for an hour before dusk from early May to late July. This is when the swifts will be socialising and interested in hearing other swifts calling! It’s also worth playing the caller when you hear and see swifts overhead.
There are normally three waves of swift arrivals:
The first wave
Mature breeding adults of three years or older, returning to their traditional nest sites, normally arrive in the last week of April to early May. It is difficult to attract these to a new box as they are extremely site faithful. However, it is possible that displaced breeding adults from homes that have been renovated or demolished during their absence will be looking for new homes.
The second wave
Swifts that are two years old and looking for their first nest site, and a mate, start to arrive from the middle of May. This is the peak time for playing your calls! The swifts will fly up to investigate wherever the sound is coming from. If you are lucky enough to attract a pair, they will spend the rest of the summer building a new nest ready for breeding next year.
The third wave
Yearlings returning for the first time arrive in the middle of July. These swifts are interested in joining a colony and will visit several in the local area to investigate the best ones. They might even enter one of your boxes, roosting in it until they leave in August! They will not start building a nest until the following year. They are also attracted by calls, so play as described above.
Thanks to our friends at Lewes Swift Supporters for allowing reproduction.
How loud should calls be played?
Louder is better, but to avoid neighbourly disputes, we recommend playing your calls at the same volume as a rather loud voice, or the same volume as that of a screaming swift.
Playing calls can be a fantastic opportunity to engage your neighbours too. Pop up a sign in your window, a leaflet through your neighbours’ doors or have a chat to them explaining what the sound is, and that you’re playing the calls to attract an endangered species on the brink of extinction.
Get them hooked too, it really works!