Barrowcliff estate gets huge boost for breeding of swifts
Scarborough’s Barrowcliff estate – known for its swift population – has just been given a huge boost to the breeding prospects of these summer visiting birds.
Housing provider Sanctuary re-roofed around 100 properties in the past year at Barrowcliff and bought and erected swift boxes at the same time – and put up a handful of house martin nest boxes.
The group even postponed some re-roofing jobs last summer because so many nests of swifts and other birds were revealed and it was decided that to continue in the breeding season would cause too much disturbance.
Sanctuary became enthusiastic swift helpers after contact with the North Yorkshire Swift Group which monitors, records and places nest boxes in the area.
Its chairman Rob Stark said: “Sanctuary and their Leeds based roofing contractors, Jennings Roofing, have been fantastic.
“As well as Barrowcliff they have also bought and erected 100 boxes in Eastfield.
“Since getting Sanctuary on board, the interest in helping nesting birds has snowballed and I hope this initiative will spread across the whole country.”
Landlords Beyond Housing have likewise installed some boxes at Eastfield and Barrowcliff and Broadacres is another housing provider which is putting up swift nest boxes.
North Yorkshire Swift group has put up nesting boxes, made by their volunteers or paid for by grants like Eastfield Cash for Causes in many parts of Scarborough and the surrounding area and are happy to offer advice about buying and sighting swift and house martin boxes.
Many private homes host boxes and anyone wanting to see what they look like and watch the breeding birds can check them out at Scarborough Rugby Club, Eastfield Police Station, Eastfield Library and Westway Open Arms in Eastfield.
Swifts return from Africa in late April or early May to raise chicks.
Their favourite nesting sites are roof spaces and they especially like the roofing styles of Barrowcliff and Eastfield.
But as buildings are repaired or modernised many suitable ‘swift gaps’ disappear.
This is a main cause of the drastic decline of swift and house martin numbers in recent years, so much so that both bird species are on the UK red list for birds of conservation concern.
Contact Rob Stark at [email protected] for advice on swift and house martin nesting boxes.