Bradwell's Swifts
A huge thanks to our volunteers - Sally Pereira and Delphine Sayre - for this guest blog
In 2025, under the guidance of Claire Mead from Derbyshire Swift Conservation, a team of local volunteers carried out a more systematic Swift survey in Bradwell, which resulted in 42 nest sites being identified on 31 buildings in our village. 17 of these Swift sites were new records, compared to our previous 5 years of monitoring, which was an amazing achievement. It even included Swifts occupying 2 nest boxes with a call system, that had only been put up a couple of months before the Swifts returned!
Conversely, one of the most concerning things about our results, was that of those 31 buildings with nest sites, around a third of them were potentially under threat. For example one property needs the rotten gutter replaced, the Swifts currently nest under the eaves in two locations next to the gutter, so if a barge board is added, as is often the case as part of the repair, the Swifts homes will be blocked. We have therefore suggested an alternative solution to the use of a barge board. Another property needs painting, which is right next to where the Swifts enter their nest site. Another needs repointing, so we have to ensure the crack where there is a Swift nest is not accidently mortared up.
Several properties with Swifts have also changed hands over the last year. Often under new ownership nooks and crannies that the Swifts call home can easily be inadvertently lost as the building is renovated. So as always, we need to stay constantly vigilant and keep raising awareness and understanding of Swift Conservation. It has however certainly brought home to us how quickly Swift sites can vanish without a local group on hand to try and protect them.
In March 2026, under the coordination of Derbyshire Swift Conservation (DSC) 15 new Swift boxes were installed on properties around Swift Close. Previously Swift boxes had been promised on this new housing estate by the developer, but then at the last moment they reneged, so it is lovely to see the Swift boxes belatedly in place in keeping with the name of the new road. In 2026 we are aiming to increase our pool of volunteers and are extending our Swift surveys around more areas of Bradwell. Claire Mead (DSC) is kindly offering free training on how to survey for Swifts on the evening of Friday 22nd May. If you live locally and can spare just a little time, the rewards of spotting a Swift nest site are amazing! For further details contact: bradwellswiftreports@gmail.com
Derbyshire Dales Swift Project is installing boxes and bricks in 5 Swift hotspots: Bradwell, Darley Dale, Tideswell, Wirksworth and Youlgreave in 2026. The project is made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Breedon Group. If you live in one of these villages and would like to find out more, please complete our expression of interest form: https://derbyshireswiftconservation.org/nest-box