Hi all so my house is an older one, built in the 60’s and came with lots of issues. For a while now I’ve suspected that something, I thought bats for a while, was living in/ under the roof tiles that came down the side of my house. Last year after having the roof done in February we found a stray Swallow/Swift which escaped from the loft into my cupboard. We managed to scoop him up in a towel and release him safely but it seems that the swallows/Swifts are back and I finally found their entry point at 5.30am because I was awoken by the babies screaming for food. I think they’re actually nesting in the cavity wall as they’re so loud inside the house. I know it’s illegal to remove them or disturb their nests and I don’t want to until they’re finished breeding but what can I put up instead of having them use my roof/ cavity wall? For reference my wall faces west and we’re in a migration path.
I would also like to add that she wasn’t stuck and moments after this she flew off.
I'm going to bump this and I am really hoping that SNS sees this - I think they aren't swallows - I think you have swifts and - SNS has experience of swift boxes - this amazing little birds need all the help they can get
Cin J
As Germain says, it's a swift. The screaming is one or both adults. They have only recently arrived back from Africa. (the Feb bird you rescued must have been something else IMO and probably unrelated). Their numbers are dropping, so any successful nest would be good. Not sure if this bird is trying to reuse an old site or find a new one. Doesn't look promising, though it may have got in easier in previous years?
Swifts do take to nestboxes. I would strongly recommend you providing one as they're well worth having, and although I've not got a camera in mine, if I had my choice again, I'd get one before putting it up. Details of where to site the box (high up so any young have chance to remain airborne and avoid crash landing) should come with the box. Most young swifts fledge in late July, though some can be a fair bit later than that. I would avoid doing any work on your roof til mid Aug at least.
Hi I’m certain they’re swifts too and there’s definitely more than one or possibly babies in there because there’s chirping all hours of the day especially in the morning and it’s quite loud inside the bedroom which is attached to the wall. For obvious reasons I don’t want to disturb them by putting up a nest box right now but also don’t want them ending up in my loft space as I don’t have access to it atm. And it would make it hard to rescue them. Uncertain on how to move forward other than just leaving them right now? We are in the migratory path of swifts so it would make sense for it to be such.
In a rush, but….
there won’t be young swifts in your roof now. You may have sparrows nesting in that area too. That Feb bird you rescued shows other species than swifts could get in. Swifts don’t chirp or make lots of noise other than scream…..and mine are mostly muffled type ones. You won’t disturb swifts by putting a box up. The comings and goings, compared to other bird species is infrequent. So long as any box isn’t directly over or very near to the current access it won’t be an issue.
It was definitely a swift we rescued from the house we had the roof done in Feb but we didn’t find the swift in the loft cupboard until a few weeks later. We did find a nest in the actual loft whilst having the roof done but haven’t had any activity much since apart from this year. It does sound like there are babies in there though as we’ve had bird droppings on the walls and windows in that area since the middle of April.
Odd question but what country are you in?
England UK
The recording is of an adult swift. It is clear from what has been posted that an old, traditional nest site they return to each year was lost in Feb. There will be no young in there. Swifts are here from May to early Aug, with much smaller numbers in April and mid/late Aug, It is possible yours arrived at the nest site in April. Two possible theories…..1) one of the adults managed to get in and the filmed mate didn’t. The one inside is getting more desperate for the mate to get in, 2) possibly more likely, the one inside struggled and managed to get in and now can’t get out, Its mate can’t get in but can hear it so is trying to, The faeces will be from the bird inside (assuming there is only one species). Clearly no fault of anyone, and an example of how swifts are declining by accident. Hard to know what to do next. I would still put up a swift box personally. I don’t fancy the chances of a successful nesting attempt even if there is a third possibility, or if it is option 1 where the mate finally succeeds to get in.
These are the things I’m obviously worried about. I want to put up a box but equally it’s illegal to disturb them and I don’t want it stuck in the wall either so I’m unclear as to how to proceed without getting a ladder and ripping the cladding off the side of the house (which is very high) I will be getting a swift box as soon as I get paid but I’ll have to get someone to install it for me as there’s no way I could get up there myself. The thought of it being stuck is honestly so upsetting to me as I don’t want that swifts mate for life so I just want to make sure they can have a successful brood