#NetworkRail are getting bogged down in their own justifications but the point is that the swift nesting sites are blocked and they can unblock them. 📧email CEO Jeremy Westlake asking him to unblock them: [email protected] #SaveOurSwifts #UnblockTheNests

I too am having my own battles with Harrow Council Hannah. Last year they re roofed 8 Council houses and boarded in all the open eaves. We were promised swift nesting boxes and, so far, zilch! I will concentrate on my patch and keep you posted. 🙏

Please document all you can as this is the national narrative and why 1) there needs to be protected status and 2) mandating swift bricks is the very least that the government should do

@Carolemoonbeam The situation with Network Rail is exactly why mandating swift bricks is so important, or at least as here leaving the holes that were their nests for the swifts to return to. It's bizarre that Network Rail is being so intransigent. Makes no sense at all.

@Carolemoonbeam Indeed. It also makes no sense that the government won’t mandate swift bricks !

@suereidauthor How transient are swifts? My swifts have been in my locality since at least the 1950s because of it being in a "dip", with large numbers of flies and insects and access to nearby fields and ponds and with ideal housing having open eaves. I have not seen them nest in nearby sites

@WriterHannahBT I live in London, in an area popular with swifts. Several of us in the street have had swift boxes added under our house eaves, and they return each year, which is great. But I have seen a huge decline in the number of insects, which is very worrying.

@WriterHannahBT It seems surprising that swifts in an area like yours with good housing for their homes and plenty insects etc that they aren't attracted to other nearby nest sites. @islingtonswifts can you advise?

@WriterHannahBT I think that swifts tend to be very site specific and go back to the same family nests year after year. However now the 8 houses have had their eaves boarded up, it may be a time that they will have little choice but to move. I have just been informed that boxes are to go up!

Just been watching swifts here in Gibraltar flying overhead heading north. I hope they’ll have open nests welcoming them back!

Waving to you and your very lucky, well cared for swifts! If only the powerful in Britain would be more like you!

@BEAG_Tweets Can you put the location details in each post please so that people can make a full complaint. It is the Chapel Milton Viaduct in Derbyshire.

@kneeandathal Have sent a second email. The first one was answered with typical management crap.

@HeathersCookies We walked under the viaduct today and at one end there was a fixed rope attached, looked like some kind of kit for aerial access? Maybe something is happening? ❤️🧡

Isn't blocking nesting sites illegal?

@domdyer70 Both my husband and I emailed Jeremy Westlake earlier this week, with typical CEO arrogance we haven't even had an acknowledgement. This shouldn't stop others from doing the same, the more who do it the more likely he is to take notice.

Reply from @networkrail to my email; Support Case Public Executive Correspondence - Swift nest sites at Chapel Milton viaduct Reference: 260410-000407 Status: Assigned Response By E-mail Vannessa Cooper Good afternoon, Tracy. Thank you for writing to our Chief Executive, Jeremy Westlake, about the repair works at Chapel Milton Viaduct. My name is Jake Kelly and I am responding as managing director for the North West and Central area. From my own experience, swifts are magnificent birds and I personally value sustaining and building natural habitats for them. As Network Rail, we recognise that the viaduct has historically been an important site for swift activity, and like you we hugely value the diversity of wildlife that inhabits railway land. We understand how much these special birds mean to the local community, and I want to take this opportunity to set out clearly what we did, why we did it, and what we intend to do next. The works and why they were necessary Our repairs to Chapel Milton Viaduct were essential structural works to ensure the continued safe operation of the railway. The viaduct carries heavy freight trains that support both the regional and national economy, and certain structural cracks and crevices within the masonry had to be filled on safety grounds as part of the approved remedial design. The ecological surveys we carried out We want to reassure you that Network Rail took the welfare of swifts at this location extremely seriously throughout the project. Although swifts have been observed flying in the general area of the viaduct, our independent ecological surveys which went beyond what we were legally required to undertake during nesting season did not find evidence of active nesting in the specific areas where the structural works were carried out. Our survey programme included: Two preliminary ecological appraisals covering the structure and the compound area. A dawn-to-dusk thermographic imaging survey, during which swifts were observed in the general vicinity but were not found to be entering or exiting span three of the viaduct. Endoscopic surveys carried out by rope access specialists in September 2025 at the height of the nesting season which examined the specific crevices in question and found no evidence of active nesting The ecological procedures we followed Throughout the works, the project team followed agreed ecological protection procedures, including thorough pre-work checks carried out on the morning of the works to confirm no birds were present before any activity commenced. Works were deliberately programmed to take place outside the nesting season to ensure no disturbance to nesting birds. These measures reflect our genuine commitment to protecting wildlife on and around the railway, not simply our legal obligations. What we plan to do next Whilst we are confident that we followed the correct procedures throughout, we recognise the strength of feeling in the local community and share a genuine commitment to supporting swift conservation at this historic structure. With that in mind, we are planning to install swift-specific bird boxes on the viaduct to further enhance biodiversity and provide additional nesting opportunities for returning swifts. We are currently seeking advice from Historic England on whether this can be achieved within the constraints of the structure's Grade II listed status. Listed Building Consent is not guaranteed, but we are committed to exploring every available option and will progress this as quickly as possible. Subject to receiving the necessary permissions, we are very keen to work collaboratively with local conservation groups on the installation of these boxes, and we will be in touch with them directly to discuss this in due course. We hope this letter demonstrates that Network Rail does not take its responsibilities to wildlife lightly. We carried out surveys that went beyond our legal requirements, we programmed works to avoid the nesting season, we followed our ecological protection procedures throughout, and we are now actively looking at ways to further enhance swift nesting opportunities at the structure. Thank you for raising this important issue with us, I hope I’ve shown that we always strive to balance the safe running of trains with protecting biodiversity on our land. Yours sincerely, Jake Kelly Regional director for North West and Central

@CarlBovisNature Yes get them unblocked network rail . Swifts are more important than bricks

I’ve sent and replied to various emails to them - seems to me that they are hiding behind Historic England and I’ve told them this. No sense of urgency or understanding when Swifts return to nest.

Done, but they are making excuses, delays and blaming Historic England.

Emailed ✔️

@CarlBovisNature It's so easy .... its exasperating Just unblock them. Or tell us who has told you not to. Tell us who is blocking this

Bureaucratic inertia at its finest. Swift populations crashed 58% since 1995 so I just emailed Westlake. Unblock the nests now. Every site counts for these birds. #SaveOurSwifts 📧

Done just emailed him again

Thank you! I’ve emailed Mr. Westlake again.

Done ✔️

Done! (e-mailed)

well said Hannah... just do it.. NOW!!

At what point do we say enough emails and talk on this and actually need to go and unblock the nest sites ourselves?

Emailed. I would love to know whose stupid idea it was to block them up in the first place.

Meanwhile in caring Scotland.. unlike @networkrail #UnblockTheNests

Add some swift bricks

can you perhaps offer a template to people stating the area and the legal infringements network rail are breaking?

Can no one go and attach temp boxes for this season?