Antwerp’s “swift-friendly” warehouse

Swifts breed in colonies, but in recent years things have been getting difficult for them. They normally nest in cracks and gaps in the walls of buildings, but increasingly strict insulation standards and ever more energy efficient buildings are reducing the number of suitable places to build nests. The trend is also apparent in the port area, where old warehouses are being replaced by new buildings. Since the Wilmarsdonk warehouses were home to a large colony of swifts, all parties involved collaborated in looking for a solution to provide sufficient nesting sites in the new building. A suitable solution was indeed found, thanks in part to the experts in the Swift working party of the Natuurpunt nature association. The new Wilmarsdonk warehouse features “nest stones” incorporated in the wall of the building, so the swifts now have plenty of opportunity to make their nests. In all there are 300 such nest stones, which now only have to be supplied with nesting material and numbering. The first swifts have already been reported. If the results of the project are positive, the possibilities of placing nest bricks at other sites will be examined.