Making use of our CNC I found a couple of plans online of different types of nest box but felt this design was the best to go with, so using one of our scraps of material got the nest box underway.

Using a mix of ply and pine scraps which are 18mm in thickness, this adds a bit of weight to the box but will no doubt make it last longer, I offered up all the pieces to make sure they are all cut correctly, and I started to counter sink where the screws will go and slowly put together.

Once the basic structure was complete, I added the nesting cups which were simple squares of the pine and then used the jigsaw to cut out the shape and glued and screwed in place once the edges were sanded to smooth out.

I then screwed holes in the sides and back for access panels and to wire in the cameras, the cameras I have purchased are very basic and I may need to upgrade them in time, however for now they will do the job, the access panels are made of dibond scraps that will allow me to check the plugs and position of the camera if disturbed without opening up the box.

To allow the swifts to climb into the box I used match sticks and cut the ends off to make a small ladder to make assist them to land and climb into the box.

The interior of the box I have painted in black which should aid the clarity of the film/photos the cameras will capture, and with that in mind, the cameras are linked to an app which gives 24/7 live footage of the nesting birds.

I have attached a caller to the inside of the box so when the swifts begin to arrive in the last week of April and early may I can switch the caller on which goes from USB to mains and has a pre-recorded soundtrack, this will need to be done in three waves:

The first wave will be at the end of April and into early May, these will be returning breeding adults and it will be difficult to attract breeding pairs however if displaced they will take up new boxes.

The second wave, the birds will arrive from the end of May into June, these birds will be looking for new nest sites and will be attracted by the caller, the caller will need to be playing from 6am-11am and again in the evening 6pm-8pm.

The third wave, the birds will arrive in the middle of July, these birds will be interested in joining a colony, and will visit several to pick the best one, they may even enter the box but will not nest build until the next year.

All i need to do now is fix the box to the house and prepare for late April 2025, will update when things start to happen….