Anyone who knows me also knows that I should come with a warning label to anyone who meets me for the first time; ‘Apode and Hirundine crazy lady’.

My unconditional passion for swifts, house martins, and swallows, and their protection and conservation, stems from childhood when, in my native Italy, I used to witness my mum tear down house martin nests with a broom as ‘their poop was really annoying’.

I used to watch in despair and cry each time, and I pledged to somehow help these birds in my future years, as well as swifts and swallows; messengers of spring, and often confused between each other.

Their epic journeys are nothing but extraordinary, covering thousands of miles between Europe and Africa, to come and nest in that very same spot year after year, be it a crevice under our eaves for swifts, or mud cup for house martins and swallows.

A tiny power machine weighing few grams, yet capable of the most incredible flying performances, and even able to mate, sleep, and eat in flight in the case of swifts who are, incredibly, related to hummingbirds. Their Latin name, Apus Apus, literally means ‘no feet’ and says it all about their inability to perch, unlike most other birds. House martins and swallows on the other hand belong to the Hirundine family.

These three species invariably evoke memories of nostalgic summer evenings spent eating ice cream with my paternal grandmother, sitting on a stone wall back in her picturesque Italian village, listening to the piercing screams and happy chattering as they flew past. The skies used to be black with birds back then, flying acrobatically between buildings and swooping low, so close to your ears that you could almost think they wanted to talk to you, cheekily chattering away, making fun of our flightless human bodies and catching those pesky mosquitoes with expert precision.

A very distant, emotional memory indeed. The three species have suffered tremendous declines all over Europe in the last decades, leaving our skies empty and silent.

The reasons are multiple; climate change and weather adversity during migration, insect decline, and loss of nesting sites are the main reasons. Changes in farming procedures, and people’s love for tidy, spotless gardens, coupled with the use of pesticides, has meant that the food available has been gradually decreasing; in addition, roof renovations and materials used such as UPVC fascias have led to the destruction, blockage and collapse of many nesting sites, leaving returning birds often wandering around, desperately looking for their nest and often leading to failure to breed in some species.

This has had disastrous consequences, leading to swifts and house martins being added to the BTO Birds of Conservation Concern Red List of birds at risk of extinction, joining other once common species such as starlings and house sparrows.

But it’s not all doom and gloom!

We can still help, and one of the best ways to do it is to provide as many nesting opportunities as possible; swift bricks and boxes offer a sturdy, self-contained, reliable nesting site loved not only by swifts, but also by many other declining species such as bats, bumblebees, house sparrows, and even house martins, who have, in some locations, used them and reduced the entrances with mud.

Swift groups all over the country have been brilliant at promoting their installation, often coupled with call boxes to maximise uptake, and councils such as Brighton and Hove now include swift bricks and boxes in their planning requirements for new builds.

However swift boxes need a few requirements to meet the high standards needed to last for years to come, and many cheaper models available on the market aren’t unfortunately suitable due to cheap wood, big entrances, wrong shape, and lack of a preformed internal nesting cup, which helps eggs not to roll out of the box – a common occurrence due to swifts being unable to perch and often moving clumsily in the nesting box.

During the delivery of the Nextdoor Nature project in Slough, I came across various local brilliant organisations, and one of them is Men's Sheds in Burnham. They are an amazing group of men and women who spend time socialising and building very clever wooden features such as bird and hedgehog boxes, planters, and decorations which are then sold at events and local markets.

The 'Shedders' – as like they like to call themselves – had never made a swift box before, and were intrigued when they heard about the incredible feats of these fascinating birds. They were very keen to help, so we decided to embark on a new production line.

Armed with my demo box, I paid several visits to the Shed over winter, pulling the box apart and showing its features, discussing wood types and protective coating, dimensions, internal nesting cups, and other fine details. The Shedders were amazing at listening and came up with a beautiful prototype.

Swifts have been seen around Burnham and I had a pretty good idea as to where these new boxes could be trialled. One of the Burnham churches I collaborate with, St Peter’s, had just the perfect layout, and Pam, their warden and admin person, was amazing at getting in touch with the right people to seek permission to install some boxes. The outcome was overwhelmingly positive, and we obtained permission in no time.

In March this year, armed with heaps of courage and a heavy set of impressive keys, Peter, Grant, Tony, and I made our way to the church tower ready to install their beautiful boxes. The breathtaking view was well worth the steep climb and within the hour four boxes were installed by the courageous Shedders near the crenellations.

Elated and proud, the Shedders and I further discussed the successful installation over well deserved cups of coffee. The boxes could be used as talking point to promote not only the conservation of these amazing birds but also to highlight the great work done by the Shed, and boost the church's eco profile.

Inspired and motivated by Peter’s engineering skills, we planned the creation of a call box to be installed near the boxes before the arrival of the swifts in mid-May, powered by a mains operated SD card reader and speaker. Swift call boxes are widely and successfully used to attract swifts to new, secure nesting sites which will last for years.

The news quickly made the rounds and the story was covered by the local press, raising the profile of the project as well as the organisations involved.

As a result, the Shedders have now been contacted by other local organisations interested in both their nest box and call box production, and are looking to establish new collaborations, in true community organising style.

Providing suitable nesting sites might not be a fix-all solution, it is however a very effective way to help the existing swift, swallow, and house martin population. Wildlife ponds are also a great solution when looking at boosting invertebrate numbers, and should come as a default feature of every garden and even window sill, no matter how small and irrelevant they might look.

They all help creating an all important green connection for insects to reproduce and drink or even feed from – some pond plants are also pollinator friendly.

Ultimately, action for nature is down to every single one of us; no matter what we decide to help with, it all counts; from litterpicking to planting for pollinators, to recycling, upcycling, building a wildlife pond, or installing a swift brick or box or house martin or swallow cup, it all helps.

Let’s all be part of meaningful change.

Update 10 May

Calling out to all Burnham swifts! The call box is here!

So we did it again! Actually…the Shedders did. This wonderful group of skilled craftspeople counts not only woodwork in their already varied portfolio, but also electrical engineering thanks to clever Peter and his diverse skills.

He had been working for a while on a call box to install near one of the nest boxes to maximise effectiveness and, after couple of trials, he was ready to install his prototype and hopefully encourage a graceful swift to take residence in these bespoke 5-star hotels.

On a lovely May morning, wardens Pam and Paul met us at St Peter’s Church and handed over the still impressive set of keys to the tower. The climb to the top is far from easy, and definitely something you would only attempt if armed with a fair amount of courage and determination.

At 10am, a squad of three intrepid climbers – Peter, Tony, and myself - made their way to the tall spire; the sun was shining, the air warm and inviting, and the view breathtaking. I tried not to look down too much, whereas Peter seemed to whiz away and show incredible balance and fearlessness I sheepishly peeped at the vast geometric landscape of houses, trees, and green spaces.

In no time, the call box had been securely fixed by his expert hands to one of the boxes, and the evoking swift call could be heard propagating in the distance.

You could almost see the ripples and waves of its clear sound gently curling and melting in the atmosphere, creating sound effects full of summery expectation.

And, just as I raised my head…three swifts started circling the tower! Well, I certainly didn’t expect that, given that it takes on average three years to spark an interest in these fascinating aviators of the sky! The calls were set on a timer to concentrate playing at the times of maximum swift activity; 7-9am, 12-3pm, and 6-8.30pm.

And now, the waiting game; hopefully swifts in Burnham will notice the new nest provisions and will be attracted by the calls.

But even more importantly, this project will leave a lasting legacy and residents will be inspired to take meaningful action for nature where they live and work, and install swift boxes on their homes, offices, and buildings for new generations of swifts to come.

Barbara Polonara, Community Wildlife Officer