Graham Knight
@grahamknight10.bsky.social
Hertfordshire Swift conservation, including Sawbridgeworth Swifts, Herts Bird Club, counting rookeries for a long time
Great to be at the Swifts Local Network conference in Lancaster today, hearing so many interesting talks and meeting fellow Swift conservationists.
Events like this really provide inspiration for more Swift conservation work in the future - a big thank you to the organisers
Events like this really provide inspiration for more Swift conservation work in the future - a big thank you to the organisers
November 8, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Great to be at the Swifts Local Network conference in Lancaster today, hearing so many interesting talks and meeting fellow Swift conservationists.
Events like this really provide inspiration for more Swift conservation work in the future - a big thank you to the organisers
Events like this really provide inspiration for more Swift conservation work in the future - a big thank you to the organisers
Here is evidence from Hertfordshire as to compliance with planning conditions for Swift bricks. 106 developments visited and less than half of the required bricks installed.
We have no voluntary installations in the county
We have no voluntary installations in the county
October 24, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Here is evidence from Hertfordshire as to compliance with planning conditions for Swift bricks. 106 developments visited and less than half of the required bricks installed.
We have no voluntary installations in the county
We have no voluntary installations in the county
I am very upset to report that a colony of House Martins have had their nests blocked by scaffolding in Standon,Hertfordshire today.
The building containing the Post Office has 8 to 10 nests under the eaves, some of which contain chicks that will die if the birds cannot reach them.
#hertsbirds
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The building containing the Post Office has 8 to 10 nests under the eaves, some of which contain chicks that will die if the birds cannot reach them.
#hertsbirds
1/2
August 29, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I am very upset to report that a colony of House Martins have had their nests blocked by scaffolding in Standon,Hertfordshire today.
The building containing the Post Office has 8 to 10 nests under the eaves, some of which contain chicks that will die if the birds cannot reach them.
#hertsbirds
1/2
The building containing the Post Office has 8 to 10 nests under the eaves, some of which contain chicks that will die if the birds cannot reach them.
#hertsbirds
1/2
Hertfordshire Swift Nest Survey 2025
Swift groups have been working hard with surveys in 2025, and I am pleased to say that we have just passed our target of recording 1000 Swift nests in the county
A final count and some more details of the survey will follow later on in the year. #hertsbirds
Swift groups have been working hard with surveys in 2025, and I am pleased to say that we have just passed our target of recording 1000 Swift nests in the county
A final count and some more details of the survey will follow later on in the year. #hertsbirds
July 17, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Hertfordshire Swift Nest Survey 2025
Swift groups have been working hard with surveys in 2025, and I am pleased to say that we have just passed our target of recording 1000 Swift nests in the county
A final count and some more details of the survey will follow later on in the year. #hertsbirds
Swift groups have been working hard with surveys in 2025, and I am pleased to say that we have just passed our target of recording 1000 Swift nests in the county
A final count and some more details of the survey will follow later on in the year. #hertsbirds
The Hertfordshire 100 Club!
Hitchin has become the second town in Herts to record 100 Swift nests in 2025, joining Hertford in the "100 Club"
The photo is of Mattocke Road, which has 11 Swift nests and also 13 House Martin nests
Another Herts town will hopefully joining the club very soon....
Hitchin has become the second town in Herts to record 100 Swift nests in 2025, joining Hertford in the "100 Club"
The photo is of Mattocke Road, which has 11 Swift nests and also 13 House Martin nests
Another Herts town will hopefully joining the club very soon....
July 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
The Hertfordshire 100 Club!
Hitchin has become the second town in Herts to record 100 Swift nests in 2025, joining Hertford in the "100 Club"
The photo is of Mattocke Road, which has 11 Swift nests and also 13 House Martin nests
Another Herts town will hopefully joining the club very soon....
Hitchin has become the second town in Herts to record 100 Swift nests in 2025, joining Hertford in the "100 Club"
The photo is of Mattocke Road, which has 11 Swift nests and also 13 House Martin nests
Another Herts town will hopefully joining the club very soon....
Three grounded Swifts were found in Herts yesterday and taken to specialist rehabbers. Heat is causing chicks to leave the nest too early
All grounded Swifts need the help of a specialist rehabber
Post on the Swift and Swallow SOS Facebook group with a photo and your postcode and someone will help
All grounded Swifts need the help of a specialist rehabber
Post on the Swift and Swallow SOS Facebook group with a photo and your postcode and someone will help
July 12, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Three grounded Swifts were found in Herts yesterday and taken to specialist rehabbers. Heat is causing chicks to leave the nest too early
All grounded Swifts need the help of a specialist rehabber
Post on the Swift and Swallow SOS Facebook group with a photo and your postcode and someone will help
All grounded Swifts need the help of a specialist rehabber
Post on the Swift and Swallow SOS Facebook group with a photo and your postcode and someone will help
I have 8 species of wader on the "from the caravan window" list this week
April 9, 2025 at 3:10 PM
I have 8 species of wader on the "from the caravan window" list this week
Very pleased to put up another 30 Swift boxes in Sawbridgeworth and Bishop's Stortford on Friday, including 2 at the Bullfields Centre kindly donated by Bunzl Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies.
We have another box installation this Friday, 4th April!
#hertsbirds #swifts
We have another box installation this Friday, 4th April!
#hertsbirds #swifts
March 30, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Very pleased to put up another 30 Swift boxes in Sawbridgeworth and Bishop's Stortford on Friday, including 2 at the Bullfields Centre kindly donated by Bunzl Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies.
We have another box installation this Friday, 4th April!
#hertsbirds #swifts
We have another box installation this Friday, 4th April!
#hertsbirds #swifts
The first in an occasional series: "How Not to Install Swift Bricks" starts with a development near Great Dunmow in Essex.
I shall be contacting the developer to point out the error
I shall be contacting the developer to point out the error
March 27, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The first in an occasional series: "How Not to Install Swift Bricks" starts with a development near Great Dunmow in Essex.
I shall be contacting the developer to point out the error
I shall be contacting the developer to point out the error
2025 Hertfordshire Rookery Survey: please submit nest counts from active rookeries in the county, full details here: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
March 24, 2025 at 7:05 AM
2025 Hertfordshire Rookery Survey: please submit nest counts from active rookeries in the county, full details here: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
Great work by Gavin Vicary from the North East Herts Swift Group on his latest church tower Swift box project, this time at St Lawrence's, Abbots Langley, where 28 nest chambers have been fitted in the belfry.
The 9th church in Hertfordshire that Gavin has installed in, more to follow! #hertsbirds
The 9th church in Hertfordshire that Gavin has installed in, more to follow! #hertsbirds
March 13, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Great work by Gavin Vicary from the North East Herts Swift Group on his latest church tower Swift box project, this time at St Lawrence's, Abbots Langley, where 28 nest chambers have been fitted in the belfry.
The 9th church in Hertfordshire that Gavin has installed in, more to follow! #hertsbirds
The 9th church in Hertfordshire that Gavin has installed in, more to follow! #hertsbirds
Swifts in Hemel Hempstead on Google Street View!
Finding any birds at all on GSV is difficult, but Swift is a really amazing discovery
The images are old, but we will survey the site for nests this summer
www.google.com/maps/@51.738...
Found by Dean Cornish
#hertsbirds #swifts
Finding any birds at all on GSV is difficult, but Swift is a really amazing discovery
The images are old, but we will survey the site for nests this summer
www.google.com/maps/@51.738...
Found by Dean Cornish
#hertsbirds #swifts
February 5, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Swifts in Hemel Hempstead on Google Street View!
Finding any birds at all on GSV is difficult, but Swift is a really amazing discovery
The images are old, but we will survey the site for nests this summer
www.google.com/maps/@51.738...
Found by Dean Cornish
#hertsbirds #swifts
Finding any birds at all on GSV is difficult, but Swift is a really amazing discovery
The images are old, but we will survey the site for nests this summer
www.google.com/maps/@51.738...
Found by Dean Cornish
#hertsbirds #swifts
This map of 1km square species totals has been created by Dean Cornish, using around 10k records submitted to the Herts Bird Club in 2024. Fully interactive version here: dcbirds.github.io/Total-Specie...
Featured on the HBC website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
Featured on the HBC website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
January 25, 2025 at 7:20 AM
This map of 1km square species totals has been created by Dean Cornish, using around 10k records submitted to the Herts Bird Club in 2024. Fully interactive version here: dcbirds.github.io/Total-Specie...
Featured on the HBC website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
Featured on the HBC website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
Sawbridgeworth Swifts is having another box installation day soon. If you are in the town or in Bishop's Stortford and would like one, please get in touch #hertsbirds #swifts
January 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Sawbridgeworth Swifts is having another box installation day soon. If you are in the town or in Bishop's Stortford and would like one, please get in touch #hertsbirds #swifts
More ecology report concerns: proposal for open-fronted nest bricks on a development "to provide nesting opportunities for Song Thrush".
How to get the message across that Song Thrush does not nest in boxes or on buildings, and that BS42021 Swift bricks are universal for building nesting birds?
How to get the message across that Song Thrush does not nest in boxes or on buildings, and that BS42021 Swift bricks are universal for building nesting birds?
January 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
More ecology report concerns: proposal for open-fronted nest bricks on a development "to provide nesting opportunities for Song Thrush".
How to get the message across that Song Thrush does not nest in boxes or on buildings, and that BS42021 Swift bricks are universal for building nesting birds?
How to get the message across that Song Thrush does not nest in boxes or on buildings, and that BS42021 Swift bricks are universal for building nesting birds?
First check for compliance in 2025, and here is yet another East Herts development where the integrated bird and bat boxes are missing - in this case, 4 Swift bricks and 2 bat bricks.
January 6, 2025 at 8:36 AM
First check for compliance in 2025, and here is yet another East Herts development where the integrated bird and bat boxes are missing - in this case, 4 Swift bricks and 2 bat bricks.
Just for fun, here are some House Martins I found on Google Street View in Walkern, Hertfordshire maps.app.goo.gl/opFRrc6GMMkW...
@ukhousemartins.bsky.social #hertsbirds
@ukhousemartins.bsky.social #hertsbirds
January 4, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Just for fun, here are some House Martins I found on Google Street View in Walkern, Hertfordshire maps.app.goo.gl/opFRrc6GMMkW...
@ukhousemartins.bsky.social #hertsbirds
@ukhousemartins.bsky.social #hertsbirds
The Hertfordshire Bird List, containing details of all 314 species recorded in the county, has been published online for the first time on the Herts Bird Club website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
January 3, 2025 at 6:15 PM
The Hertfordshire Bird List, containing details of all 314 species recorded in the county, has been published online for the first time on the Herts Bird Club website: www.hnhs.org/herts-bird-c... #hertsbirds
Transporting my first Swift chick to a rehabber - successfully released a few weeks later
December 31, 2024 at 5:18 PM
Transporting my first Swift chick to a rehabber - successfully released a few weeks later
Together with other Herts Swift groups, we secured 645 Swift bricks and boxes by way of planning conditions in the county, with the first of these being occupied, in some cases before the human residents moved in!
Easy to spot my top quality photography: House Sparrow, Brookmans Park #swifts
Easy to spot my top quality photography: House Sparrow, Brookmans Park #swifts
December 31, 2024 at 4:55 PM
Together with other Herts Swift groups, we secured 645 Swift bricks and boxes by way of planning conditions in the county, with the first of these being occupied, in some cases before the human residents moved in!
Easy to spot my top quality photography: House Sparrow, Brookmans Park #swifts
Easy to spot my top quality photography: House Sparrow, Brookmans Park #swifts
My personal highlight of 2024 has to be finding 457 Swift nests in Hertfordshire, many using the early morning call and response survey method. Here is what I wrote about it back in the spring: #swifts
December 31, 2024 at 4:39 PM
My personal highlight of 2024 has to be finding 457 Swift nests in Hertfordshire, many using the early morning call and response survey method. Here is what I wrote about it back in the spring: #swifts
If it is the right sort of integrated bird box, a BS42021 compliant Swift brick, then it really does help birds on the red list: Swifts, House Martins, House Sparrows and Starlings
December 12, 2024 at 7:23 PM
If it is the right sort of integrated bird box, a BS42021 compliant Swift brick, then it really does help birds on the red list: Swifts, House Martins, House Sparrows and Starlings
This mirrors what we found when checking whether Swift bricks had been installed in Hertfordshire developments:
December 12, 2024 at 7:19 PM
This mirrors what we found when checking whether Swift bricks had been installed in Hertfordshire developments:
I help to run a Hertfordshire project that checks for installation of Swift bricks. We have checked 100 sites and the findings are very similar:
December 12, 2024 at 2:53 PM
I help to run a Hertfordshire project that checks for installation of Swift bricks. We have checked 100 sites and the findings are very similar:
New on the Herts Bird Club website: 1km square maps superbly created by Dean Cornish from our database
These two are 2023 species totals per 1km square and Corn Bunting presence
We will be adding more in the future: hnhs.org/herts-bird-c...
#hertsbirds
These two are 2023 species totals per 1km square and Corn Bunting presence
We will be adding more in the future: hnhs.org/herts-bird-c...
#hertsbirds
December 8, 2024 at 10:47 AM
New on the Herts Bird Club website: 1km square maps superbly created by Dean Cornish from our database
These two are 2023 species totals per 1km square and Corn Bunting presence
We will be adding more in the future: hnhs.org/herts-bird-c...
#hertsbirds
These two are 2023 species totals per 1km square and Corn Bunting presence
We will be adding more in the future: hnhs.org/herts-bird-c...
#hertsbirds