The RSPB has supported the campaign for swift bricks to be installed in new housing projects, but on how many of its 200-plus reserves does it accommodate swift nesting towers?
I think it likely that there are a few, but why not on all? Surely the society needs to set an example on this.
Annual breeding data from such towers would also provide valuable research into swift population fluctuations.
It might be helpful if the reserves maintained by the county wildlife trusts, bird observatories and other organisations also came on board.
Unknown said:Surely by posting on this forum, I am contacting the RSPB - after all, it is their website, so presumably one of the staff could respond.
No, you're not. They are cutting back on staff and this place isn't a priority for them - it never has been. You need to start digging for contact details and be more direct.
Unknown said:If the RSPB is unwilling to install swift nesting towers on its own reserves, how can it reasonably demand that Persimmon, Bellway, Bovis and other housebuilders incorporate swift bricks on their new estates?
They are absolutely right to demand the incorporation of swift bricks in new builds. It's replicating the nesting conditions swifts are looking for, and are used to. The swift nesting towers are a good idea in theory but it doesn't yet sound like the swifts are convinced - and theirs is the opinion that matters.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.