If you have visited the Green Heart recently you may have noticed a tall structure on the Green Heart towards the Pritchatts road entrance. This structure is a nesting chamber, designed to help small swifts and bats providing them with nesting opportunities.

The swift nesting chambers are fitted with cameras and will be monitored by the university. The design is for contemporary tree-hole nesting for swifts with eight nesting compartments and two bat chambers.

The idea is based on the fact that Swifts tend to nest in holes in ancient trees. With this sort of nest habitat becoming much rarer, and nesting places in eaves and gable gaps being eliminated from modern and refurbished buildings, we have worked on a concept to bring back a form of tree-hole nesting for Swifts.

The design was developed by habi-sabi (our wildlife product arm) from an original concept by Swift Conservation, supported and funded by the RSPB. Habi-Sabi are an award-winning, architect designed collection of beautiful homes for wildlife.

Habi-sabi is inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in nature, simplicity and humble materials. Wabi-sabi is an ancient way of understanding and living that encourages treading very lightly on the planet. The habi-sabi team has been working with wildlife experts, including Swift Conservation, the London Zoological Society (ZSL) and the RSPB, to provide support for vulnerable urban wildlife populations, primarily in the UK, though it’s uniquely designed nest boxes have been installed in Brazil, the United States, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Green Heart is proud to be a part of creating the new swift nest places needed every year to keep the declining U.K population of birds stable.