You may recently have seen a new structure that has been erected on the roundabout at Paris Street next to the Vue cinema and wondered what it was. Well it is a Swift Tower! The project has been co-ordinated by Exeter City Council and Devon Wildlife Trust with advice from the RSPB and it has been funded by the developers of the nearby Jury’s Inn Hotel and adjacent new houses. It cost £40k to build and install.
It is rather a strange looking Tower but has been designed in Poland and it is hoped that it will act as a breeding tower for swifts which in recent years have undergone significant declines.
The roundabout has been designed as a mini nature reserve
You can see the individual swift nesting boxes in this picture – there is also a small speaker on the bottom which is powered by solar panels and in the spring when the swifts return plays swift calls to attract them to the Tower.
It was installed after the breeding season this year so we will have to wait until next year to see if the swifts like it! For details of other swift conservation projects and towers – see here.
Spending 40K to house swifts using one of the busiest junctions in Exeter..
From this I take it that Exeter has a zero housing problem for its residents.
Fortunately the housing developer paid for it not us!