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Lee-on-Solent Swifts update
Back in August while we were in Lee-on-Solent I called in on Mark Wagstaff to say hello and to see the location of his Swift colony. You...
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Dec 28, 20231 min read


The Swift population on the New Milton Estate
Last year we reported that the Swift population at the North Milton Estate in SW Hampshire was close to its maximum given the number of...
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Dec 18, 20232 min read


Southsea colony update
Dave Warner now has 11 breeding pairs of Swifts on his house in Southsea from a total of 12 boxes, eight on the front and four on the...
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Dec 14, 20231 min read


Highcliffe, Winchester – a Swift ‘Hot Spot’
The Highcliffe area of Winchester includes two areas of Council housing built primarily between the First and Second World Wars, and a...
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Nov 15, 20233 min read


Letter to Michael Gove
I have written the following letter to Michael Gove. I’m not optimistic that I will get a reply or even that he might actually read it...
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Nov 7, 20233 min read


Hospital of St Cross update
At the end of September Hampshire Swifts had a stand at the Michaelmas Fair held at the Hospital of St Cross in Winchester. The weather...
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Oct 20, 20233 min read


Winchester Cathedral – 13 pairs of Swifts in just 3 years
Roger Maynard, Rachel Hardy and I went to check the Swift boxes at Winchester Cathedral on 20 September. They are positioned in two...
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Sep 28, 20232 min read


Ropley Church – rising like a phoenix
St Peters Church at Ropley was originally built in Norman times, although little remains of its early structure except the south door....
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Aug 1, 20232 min read


The Right Way to Roof a House? The Case of the Upper Stanmore Swifts
In Hampshire traditional swift nest sites in our roofs and eaves have vanished in their thousands as houses are demolished or renovated...
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Jul 26, 20234 min read


Who needs Scientists?
Michelle Reeve is GBW Manager and the Editor of the BTO magazine Bird Table. Back on the 10 April this year I wrote to Michelle about an...
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Jul 21, 20236 min read


Chandlers Ford - Trying to Save a Swift Colony
Since Hampshire Swifts was set up in 2016, we have received very few survey reports of Swifts nesting in Chandler’s Ford. What records...
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Jul 9, 20235 min read


Six new Swift boxes at Christ Church, Winchester
We’ve been aware since 2020 that there were 8+ pairs of Swifts nesting in natural sites at Christ Church in Christchurch Road, Winchester...
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Jun 20, 20231 min read


House Martins using Model 30 Swift boxes
Graham used to live above the Community Shop at Abbotts Ann where we installed 16 new Swift boxes in May last year which you can read...
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Jun 14, 20232 min read


New Starling boxes in Lyndhurst
We were approached by Sarah Moss in Lyndhurst last year to install some Swift boxes on her housing estate where the number of urban birds...
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Jun 10, 20231 min read


Swift boxes installed at Andover War Memorial Hospital
Hampshire Swifts were contacted a while back by Gillian Brown who is Head of Sustainability at the HHFT (Hampshire Hospitals Foundation...
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Jun 6, 20231 min read


Lots more Swift boxes in Winchester
Trussell Crescent in Weeke, Winchester, is home to one of largest Swift colonies in the city. The Crescent, owned by Winchester City...
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May 19, 20232 min read


Thank you Chris Packham
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Chris Packham for his recent videos publicising the e-petition requesting that the Government mandate...
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Apr 17, 20232 min read


Become a Life Member of the RSPB
I received a leaflet in the post this week from the RSPB asking me to become a Life Member, so I did. I’ve been a member for many years...
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Mar 25, 20234 min read


Increasing Swifts at Fulflood, Winchester
Further monitoring of the Swift boxes installed at Fulflood, Winchester by volunteer Fiona Hartley has shown how the colony continues to...
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Mar 9, 20231 min read


Latest Project in Alresford
Back in September of last year I gave a talk to the Alresford Society about Swifts and how we can help them. It was actually a joint...
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Mar 2, 20232 min read


Swifts at St Hubert’s Church
Also known as ‘the Little Church in the Field’ this Church has stood here for around a thousand years. St Hubert’s Church, Idsworth It is...
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Sep 123 min read


North Baddesley and Mountbatten Park
In the middle of June, Roger and I paid a visit to North Baddesley, a village just south of Romsey. Here at the south-west corner of the...
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Aug 294 min read
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