Help needed to find nesting sites for swifts in Fordingbridge

Fordingbridge Town Council received a presentation on behalf of Hampshire Swifts at its meeting on June 9 held at the town hall.

The meeting heard that swifts were getting “few and far between” in Fordingbridge as well as Hampshire and help was needed to “reverse the trend” and encourage more swifts into the area.

Swifts usually arrive in the UK during the beginning of May and go south in August.

A representative speaking on behalf of Hampshire Swifts said there had been a “pretty dramatic decline” in the number of swifts over a number of years and part of the reason for this is believed to be the lack of nesting sites.

He added: “Swifts rely on manmade structures and part of the problem is tall buildings are being removed all the time and replaced by buildings that haven’t got the old nooks and crannies for swifts to move into.”

Swift bricks or boxes provide an alternative nesting site for the birds.

The meeting heard that generally swift boxes needed a height of about five metres from the ground and that swifts tended to return to the same nesting site year after year.

“We are about trying to get many more sites in Fordingbridge,” he said.

“We need to protect existing nest sites and add some more opportunities.”

Fordingbridge Town Council was asked to consider if it had any suitable buildings that could accommodate swift boxes/bricks as well as encourage the installation of them on new developments when considering applications for new homes in the town.

The meeting heard the workshop at the recreation ground could be looked at as a possible location.

Anyone interested in finding out more about swift bricks and boxes visit: hampshireswifts.co.uk or the Hampshire Swifts Facebook page.

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