Save Our Swifts, Masham North Yorkshire

20/08/2026

The skies have gone quiet. 😔 🐦

After months of screaming, diving and dazzling us with their aerial acrobatics, our swifts have left for another year — already on their way back to sub-Saharan Africa, a journey of thousands of miles.

It’s always a strange moment. The silence they leave behind is very real.

But here’s the thing — they will come back. The same birds, to the same spots, next April. And right now, while it’s fresh in your mind, is the perfect time to make sure there’s a proper home waiting for them when they do.

🔗 Browse our range at [email protected] or www.actionforswifts.com

SwiftBox

12/08/2026

The last of the 2026 chicks in the tower of St Mary's Church Masham finally fledged yesterday evening at 20:35, a full 10 days after its 2 siblings!
The parent bird returned 35 minutes later with a full bolus of insects in its crop ready to feed the reluctant chick and looks very confused to find it has finally gone!
After a few minutes to digest all the food itself, it departed for cooler climes (Africa's Congo Basin).
Let's hope they both make it safely and return to Masham for future summers.

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

The swifts have gone.

Just a short while ago they filled the sky with their unmistakable calls, slicing through the warm evening air in those impossible, effortless turns. Now the skies are quiet.

The swallows are still with us up at the woods, skimming the tree tops and open spaces, and with a bit of luck they'll stay a little longer. But when the swifts leave, something changes. It always feels as though summer quietly takes a step towards the door.

For me, the arrival of the swifts has always marked the true beginning of summer. No calendar has ever been as convincing as that first screech overhead. Their departure is just as meaningful, reminding us that the wheel never stands still.

The days are still warm, the woods are still green, and there is plenty of summer left to enjoy. Yet somewhere in the silence left behind by the swifts is the first whisper that autumn is already on its way.

The wheel of the year keeps turning.
-Woodlarking

29/07/2026

🏡 BOX OF THE WEEK: The AfS Universal Double Terrace
Did you know that research — including the well-known Duchy Survey — shows that traditional sparrow terraces are frequently left unused? Often expensive, and with entrances too close together, they simply don’t appeal to the birds they’re designed for.
That’s exactly why we created the AfS Universal Double Terrace. 🐦🐦

Designed around what birds actually prefer — a swift-style brick format with two properly spaced, secure nesting chambers — this integral nest brick blends seamlessly into the fabric of the building and provides a home for the lifetime of the structure.

What makes it special:
🔹 Two full nesting chambers in a single one-brick-width unit — the most cost-effective way to create two integral nest sites in one go
🔹 Incombustible galvanised steel construction with a cement fibreboard floor and nest form in each chamber
🔹 Compliant with BS42021: 2022 for nesting bricks
🔹 Custom brick, render, or plain facing to match your building perfectly — also available to fit behind cladding
🔹 Installed just like a normal brick — no lintel required, simply secured with cement mortar
🔹 Best placed at least 4 metres high in a gable, under eaves, or in a parapet wall, with a clear flyway in front
🔹 Suitable for swifts, sparrows, starlings, and other small cavity nesting birds
🔹 Suitable for retrofit as well as new build
🔹 Handmade in the UK
At just £50 + VAT for two chambers, it offers outstanding value compared to many sparrow terraces on the market that cost more and deliver less.
Colonial nesters like swifts and sparrows thrive when they can nest close to others — this product makes that possible, beautifully and affordably, without compromising your building’s appearance.

📩 Get in touch to discuss your requirements: [email protected]
📞 07535 270077
🔗 www.actionforswifts.com

WildlifeBuilding BirdConservation BiodiversityNet NewBuild Retrofit

29/07/2026

Our first swifts to fledge from the nest boxes in the tower of St Mary's Church Masham are on their way to sub-saharan Africa! The 3 chicks in Box A are now all gone, the first left at 07:55 yesterday (28th July) and the third at 05:18 this morning - exactly 6 weeks since hatching.