Swift work by electricity linesmen helps Wildlife Trust solve housing crisis for swifts

The sounds and sights of swifts, the amazing acrobats of the skies that spend almost all their lives flying, will soon be heard and seen at the headquarters of the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust in Oxford, thanks to some of our linesmen from Southern Electric Power Distribution (SEPD).

Volunteers from the Yarnton Depot helped to install the nesting boxes as part of the company’s ‘Be the Difference’ programme, which gives all staff the opportunity to spend a working day each year supporting a charitable cause.

The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust decided to put several swift boxes on the front of the headquarters building in Littlemore and contacted SEPD to see if we would be able to lend equipment and people to help. “We faced a challenge as our building is quite tall and we didn’t have any funds with which to pay to have the boxes installed. SEPD were more than willing to come out and assist us with the installation and did so within a matter of days of us approaching them.”

Gavin Bennett from the Wildlife Trust’s biodiversity team explains why swifts need homes: “Swifts like to nest in the eaves and roofs of houses, gaining access through small holes and openings found in many older buildings. Sadly as homes are repaired and gentrified these nest places can be unintentionally lost. The numbers of swifts have declined by almost 40% since the mid 1990’s, this being partly attributed to loss of nest sites.

“Very few new housing developments include provisions for nesting birds and swifts are struggling to find places to raise their young. Providing nest boxes for swifts is a simple way people can help local swift populations and even encourage the establishment of a new colony.”

Andy Hook, a member of SEPD Tree-cutting team at the Yarnton Depot thoroughly enjoyed installing the swift boxes: “We all really enjoyed our day at the Wildlife Trust, everyone we met there was very friendly and it was great chance for us to learn more about the local birdlife.

“Putting these boxes up can be quite costly if you don’t have all the correct kit and it’s really important that you have all the correct safety gear too. As we use cherry-pickers, harnesses and power tools all the time in our day jobs, when we were asked to help we all jumped at the chance to give something back to the local community.”

John Penicud, Head of Customer Operations for SEPD said: “When the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust asked if they could borrow our staff and a specialist elevated working platform for the day, we were more than happy to step in. We always relish the opportunity to use our skills and a resource to make a difference in the communities we live and work in, and now that extends to home-coming expatriates of the avian variety.”

Gavin added: “The nest boxes were installed just in time for arrival of the local swifts back from Africa thanks to the swift work of the SEPD linesmen! Hopefully in the coming weeks we can attract swifts to our nest boxes and the skies will be filled with ‘screaming parties’ of these charismatic birds once more.”