Swifts are the true cavalry of the bird world! Each of these little ones eats up to 20,000 insects a day. We don't know of a better, more natural way to combat mosquitoes, which is why we regularly involve members of our community in building and hanging their own nest boxes, contributing to the systematic increase of swift populations in cities. 🐣
Swift Nest Box – Building Instructions
A swift nest box is not a complicated construction, but it requires precision and attention to the strict requirements of its feathered inhabitants. Durable material should be used for its construction, preferably solid wood. The nest box can be painted with protective paint matching the facade it will be hung on, but it must be non-toxic paint. 🖌️
When assembling, ensure all gaps between the walls are filled and the entrance hole is smooth. Birds often cling to the front wall with their claws before entering the box and then crawl inside. The edges of the nest box entrance must be relatively smooth, with no splinters that could injure an entering swift. You can find the dimensions of individual elements and the construction design in the diagram below. 🛠️
Swift Nest Box – How to Mount?
First and foremost – swift nest boxes should NOT be hung on trees. While this would still benefit nature and provide a home for some flying creature, it certainly wouldn't be a swift. The diagram presented above is a surface-mounted box, which should be placed on the facade of a building at a height of at least 6 meters. It is crucial to ensure birds have unobstructed access to the nest boxes – trees or artificial structures should not impede their entry. The first flight of young swifts is essentially...a fall. That's why it's essential they have enough space to freely spread their wings. 🏡
Surface-mounted swift nest boxes should be hung on north-facing walls to protect them from excessive heating during summer heatwaves. Swifts are colonial birds, so it's worth hanging several, a dozen or so, side by side. The best time to hang nest boxes is the end of April – this increases the chances that the boxes will be occupied by swifts, who arrive in our country at the beginning of May. If we hang them too early, the boxes might be occupied by sparrows. 🐦
Want to learn more about swifts? Visit the website Swifts in Poland.
Join the Viking Bird Army
Once you've built a home for swifts and attracted them to your area, show it off by adding your nest box to the map. This year, for the third time, we are distributing nest boxes and promoting the relocation of these flying mosquito killers to cities. Join the Viking Bird Army, created together with the Mobile Vikings community. ⚔️
The Viking Community – Why We Do It
We are the first community mobile operator in Poland – a network whose mission is to co-create and act for the benefit of the community, always treating its users as people, not numbers. Since 2013, we've given our Vikings the opportunity to actively participate in building our offer and take part in community initiatives. This is also the case this time, as we collectively fight mosquitoes in a way that promotes sustainable development and actions supporting the local ecosystem. 💪
Don't delay and become a member of the Mobile Vikings community today. The more members we have on board, the more good we can do for the world.😎
