--- title: A Home That's Gone Above and Beyond for Swifts description: A Derbyshire home near Ashbourne is now home to 12 active Swift nests, showing how patience, Swift bricks and nest boxes can help these birds thrive. image: https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20Bretts%20photo%202%20edited.png --- [Skip to content](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/a-home-thats-gone-above-and-beyond-for-swifts#main-content) [![Derbyshire Swift Conservation](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hubfs/DSC-Logo.svg "Derbyshire Swift Conservation")](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org) - [Our Challenge](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/our-challenge) - [What We Do](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/what-we-do) Show submenu for What We Do - [Our Activities](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/our-activities) - [Get Involved](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/get-involved) Show submenu for Get Involved - [Share Your Swift Nest Sightings](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/nest-survey) - [News & Events](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news) - [Our Challenge](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/our-challenge) - [What We Do](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/what-we-do) Show submenu for What We Do - [Our Activities](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/our-activities) - [Get Involved](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/get-involved) Show submenu for Get Involved - [Share Your Swift Nest Sightings](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/nest-survey) - [News & Events](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news) [Donate](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/donate) # A Home That's Gone Above and Beyond for Swifts Published: 29 July 2026 ![](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20Bretts%20photo%202%20edited.png) # A Home That's Gone Above and Beyond for Swifts ## A wonderful success story Some homes have one or two Swift nests. This remarkable property near Ashbourne is now home to **12 active Swift nests** – one of the largest known concentrations at a single property in the Derbyshire Dales. The story began in 2019, when the homeowners decided to create their own Swift nesting opportunities. They designed and built seven bespoke Swift nesting sites, using ventilation bricks for the entrances (with the assistance of a plastic mould developed by Swift conservationist Dick Newell of [Action for Swifts](https://www.actionforswifts.com/the-team)) and with nest chambers installed behind them. - ![Barbaras Swift Brick - DSCF4860](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Brick%20-%20DSCF4860.jpg?width=2304&height=2304&name=Barbaras%20Swift%20Brick%20-%20DSCF4860.jpg) - ![Barbaras Swift Bricks - DSCF4856](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20DSCF4856.jpg?width=2304&height=2304&name=Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20DSCF4856.jpg) - ![Barbaras Swift Bricks - DSCF4901](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20DSCF4901.jpg?width=2304&height=2304&name=Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20DSCF4901.jpg) Build it, and hopefully they'll come—but they also knew that attracting Swifts to a new nest site can take time. For two years, they used a Swift caller to encourage passing birds to investigate the new nesting spaces. Their patience has certainly paid off. In 2026, **all seven of these homemade "Swift bricks" are occupied**. ## Creating a Swift-friendly home These bespoke nesting sites are not the only places where Swifts have made themselves at home. The property also has a Peak Boxes gable-end Swift box, designed to accommodate three pairs, and the birds have even discovered additional spaces behind the barge board near the box. Together, these different nesting opportunities now support **12 active Swift nests**. The location has also played an important part in the success. There are already Swifts nesting in three other houses in the village, meaning there was already a good chance of attracting local birds looking for new nesting sites. ## Watching the Swifts come home A group of volunteer surveyors from [Swifts of Ashbourne](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589397459941) recently visited the garden to see the colony for themselves. > "Barbara's house was incredible. It's a gorgeous location and the Swifts come in really low over your head – you can hear the whoosh of their wings. We watched birds entering all seven of the bricks. It was a lovely evening spent in the garden with the dogs and good company. Twelve nests on one house – I think that's a record for the Dales!" ![Barbaras Swift Bricks - Bretts photo edited](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20Bretts%20photo%20edited.png?width=800&height=535&name=Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20Bretts%20photo%20edited.png) ## Good things take time One of the biggest lessons from this story is that helping Swifts takes a little patience. A new Swift brick, nest box or other nesting site won't always be occupied straight away, but that doesn't mean it won't become a home in the future. And in the meantime, they might provide valuable homes for other species such as house sparrows, another species on the [UK Red List for birds](https://www.bto.org/our-work/science/publications/reports/birds-conservation-concern). Seven years after they were installed, every one of Barbara and her husband's homemade "Swift bricks" is now in use. With the right location, suitable nesting spaces and a little encouragement, new Swift colonies can develop over time. Creating a nesting site today, be it a nest box, Swift brick or something more bespoke, is an investment in the future. It may take years before birds discover it, but when they do, the reward is an incredible sight—and the sound of Swifts returning summer after summer. A huge thank you to Barbara and her husband for sharing their story and showing what can be achieved when homeowners make space for Swifts. ### Related Posts [![](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/FB.png?width=352&name=FB.png)](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/bradwells-swifts) ##### [Bradwell's Swifts](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/bradwells-swifts) *A huge thanks to our volunteers - Sally Pereira and Delphine Sayre - for this guest blog* [![A Swiftlet peering out of a Swift Box](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/2%20Swift%20juvenile%20_MG_1694%202925%20Crop-topaz-sharpen.jpg?width=352&name=2%20Swift%20juvenile%20_MG_1694%202925%20Crop-topaz-sharpen.jpg)](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/swifts-chose-my-box) ##### [Swifts Chose My Box - a guest blog](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/swifts-chose-my-box) *A huge thanks to our volunteer - Jill Leheup - for this guest blog and thanks to Steve Whiteley for...* [![](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Swift%20photos/Robert%20Booth/20250619-DSC01441%20copy.jpg?width=352&name=20250619-DSC01441%20copy.jpg)](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/volunteer-swift-survey-guidance) ##### [Volunteer Swift Survey Guidance](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/volunteer-swift-survey-guidance) ## Volunteer Swift Survey Guidance This guide brings together the key survey methods and field... **Sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop** [Sign up now](https://2fa4ej.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2pZT49CMRT5mRd2-jvy-7Ig) [mailto:info@derbyshireswiftconservation.org](mailto:info@derbyshireswiftconservation.org) - [Our Challenge](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/our-challenge) - [What We Do](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/what-we-do) - [Our Activities](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/our-activities) - [Get Involved](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/get-involved) - [Share Your Swift Nest Sightings](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/nest-survey) - [News & Events](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news) --- Copyright 2026 Derbyshire Swift Conservation | Registered Charity Number: 1206439 [Cookies](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/about/cookies) | [Policies & Procedures](https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/about/policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Derbyshire Swift Conservation", "url" : "https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/author/derbyshire-swift-conservation" }, "dateModified" : "2026-07-29T09:43:14.348Z", "datePublished" : "2026-07-29T09:43:14.000Z", "headline" : "A Home That's Gone Above and Beyond for Swifts", "image" : [ "https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hubfs/Barbaras%20Swift%20Bricks%20-%20Bretts%20photo%202%20edited.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/news/a-home-thats-gone-above-and-beyond-for-swifts", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/hubfs/DSC-Logo.svg" }, "name" : "Derbyshire Swift Conservation" } } ```