Replacing your roof doesn’t have to mean GAME OVER for our swifts!
It could be just the beginning…
Click here to see a video of how you could pop in a couple of simple ‘In-eaves Nest Boxes’, and create a swift colony of your own.
In spring 2023 Sheffield swift heroes Celia and Richard Cashman, got in touch to ask if we could recommend a swift friendly roofing company. Their roof in S11 needed replacing but they didn’t want to block out all the wildlife which desperately rely on our homes to give life to future generations. We recommended expert local roofing specialists Martin Brookes.
Aware of the catastrophic impact modern roofing practices are having on our red listed birds (swifts, sparrows and starlings), conservationists Celia and Richard decided to leave the rafter ends on their hipped roof exposed, to allow swifts access, not a single UPVC boxed soffit or plastic fascia in sight, hoorah!
Celia and Richard then decided to go one stage further. They got together with our expert Sheffield Swift Network member Jan-Erik Bullett of Nestworks who suggested that they could actually create new, safe nesting opportunities for our precious swifts, and who knows, perhaps create a new colony!
How? By including these open faced nest boxes, secured within the rafters, ensuring whatever wildlife may choose to nest within the Cashman’s roof, won’t be able to take a wrong turn and end up in the loft space! WONDERFUL. With pre-existing gaps in the brick work it was clear where Jan could position the nest boxes to allow access for the swifts
With upcycled old kitchen units repurposed to make the nests boxes Jan got to work
Jan says…
‘The structure where the roof meets the vertical wall varies from house to house and yours may differ so you may have to improvise or consult.
This one didn’t have an easy path into the new nest space as it was sealed with mortar, but with the roof off it was easy to remove a half brick from the top of both internal and external walls and some rubble to make a path. More pieces of rubble were positioned and wedged firmly into place to ensure any creature (that isn’t smaller than a bee) can only follow the tunnel that slopes up and into the nest space, so there is no possibility of finding their way into the wall cavity or sideways to the next pair of rafters.
The walls and floor of the nest box were secured in place and together with a few screws. The roofers will now cover with a membrane, followed by horizontal batons, and the traditional Rosemary roof tiles.
I put ventilation holes into the loft space, although this roof didn’t have any to begin with. An entry ramp could be made and shaped with wood or cement. Swifts will have no trouble crawling. Make sure there is
nothing for them to get caught on.
It would be easy to fit a camera at this stage. Maintenance of the cameras may only be possible from inside the loft. There is plenty of space for a future loft conversion’
With three fantastic swifty des res’ now installed, and a swift caller to be fitted, Celia and Richard are all ready and waiting for the screaming arrival of swifts in May 2024.
We wish them and future swift chicks all the luck in the world!
Whilst you’re here
Do get in touch with us at sheffieldswiftnetwork@gmail.com, if you’d like to offer swifts a home, but you’re not sure how that can be best achieved, or, if you have upcoming building or roofing work and would like details of one of our recommended swift friendly traders.
There’s also lots of ways we can advise on how you can give swifts a home, even if you aren’t having major building work.
We can simply drill a small hole on the underside of your soffits, or install an ‘off the shelf’ specifically designed enclosed nest box within your soffits, fit swift bricks within your walls and give swifts, our site faithful endangered birds, a ‘Forever Nest’, or fit one of Peak Boxes craftsman made, quality sustainable swift boxes.