Operation Nestbox
Did you know that swifts and housemartins are at risk of extinction and are red listed? Swallows are also under threat.
These birds used to be a common site, soaring and swooping overhead. Their arrival signalled the start of summer.
When our community understood the threat these birds were under they decided to take action. Operation Nestbox was born.
Research started. Experts contacted. Designs compared. Nesting sites recorded.
Once the initial work was completed and designs drawn up, menders from the Repair Cafe gathered and started to build the boxes, other handymen joined in. They were then painted by another team.
In each swift box, cups were installed and lined with feathers; apparently this speeds up occupation by a year.
Another team intalled the boxes - at the optimum height, facing the right direction. Then we waited with baited breath for the birds to arrive…..
So far
46 swift boxes have been made & installed
26 house martin homes have been made & installed
3 swallow nests have been made & installed
What did we learn?
We now know where the birds nest, which is recorded. We will be able to measure the success of Operation Nestbox over the coming years.
That it can take anything up to five years for the next boxes to be occupied, but swifts are more likely to take up residency if they are near other swifts, whereas swallows like their privacy.
We know that insects are important food for these birds - so many of us are now letting parts of our gardens go wild and our use of pesticides has markedly reduced.
A source of water is vital - just a sunken bowl or dustbin lid with water in works.
Before this project started many of us didn’t know the difference between these birds. Now, thanks to a bird spotting walk, a talk from an expert and a magical lesson given to all the children at Harting Primary School, many more of us can now recignise them. When the time is right we’ll be looking to the skies again to watch their arrival.
Wild About….. a project to bring joy to our community through the sowing of wild flower seeds.
A huge thank you to everyone in our community who played their part in this project.
Special thanks must go to Harting Repair Café for the initial funding to get the project off the ground and to Harting Parish Council for their funding, which ensured the project can be sustained.
