Bisham Nest Box Group

​Since 2026 we now strongly advise that a north facing aspect is the only safe option when considering where to site a swift nest box

 

Is my house suitable as a site for an external swift box?

Thanks so much for offering to help swifts. The next step is to let us know if you can answer YES to the following initial questions:

1.       Is your house at least two storeys high?

2.       Or if lower, is there a gable end at least 5m/16ft high at the top?
 
3.       Does at least one wall/gable end have a clear flight path (no trees immediately in front of the high part of the wall, no single-storey extension below) which is accessible by ladder?  The box needs to be on a wall that faces north to minimize exposure to the heat of the sun. Now that we are experiencing regular summer temperatures in excess of 30 degrees we will not offer to install our boxes facing in any other direction.

4.       Is the cost of the box okay for you? Have a look at our suggested donations list. We only sell nest boxes with a minimum of two nest spaces because swifts may compete for ownership of a single nest and injure one another. We also highly recommend that you buy the additional call attraction kit as it is much more likely that you will attract the attention of the swifts. We can install this at the same time as the box.

If you can’t say yes to all four questions, then it’s probable that where you live isn’t suitable. If you aren’t sure, please let us know. Send us a photo of the site you have in mind.