Thursday, February 06, 2014

Great News for Swifts in Halifax Town Centre

I suggested to LDN Architects that while they were building a new library, they might as well incorporate some Swift nest boxes in the structure. This was last year, and yesterday I found out that they are going in !
I had support from Andrew Pitts and Carole Knowles, senior managers with the Council. I also got them to consult Hugh Firman, Conservation Officer with the Council.

Alex Liddell has consulted www.swift-conservation.org and intends to source their nesting blocks. He had taken on that there should be more than one at a site to satisfy the Swifts communal nesting habit.

The building is due to be ready in 2016.

I've mentioned a Peregrine tray and it has been speculated that one could be fitted later; maybe in the Square Chapel spire, though the loss of Kestrels from there would have to be thought about, as Peregrines would probably drive them away.

I've been attending meetings as representative of Halifax Scientific Society, and let them know about Calderdale Bird Conservation Group. The project affects HSS because we meet and have our books/archives in the current library.


View looking across Winding Road with the Square Chapel Centre for the Arts on the left and Industrial Museum on the right. The new library will be wrapped round the unused spire that stands there now. The main access will be through the re-paved Piece Hall. You can see more design projections in the current library, if you enquire.

6 comments:

AndyC said...

Nice one Steve, well done............

Nick Carter said...

Great work Steve, well done.

NTBR said...

Good show.

David Sutcliffe said...

Great news that Steve.

Mark said...

That's great news - We have been seeing too few swifts around Halifax town centre. We will have to see if we can get some webcams plumbed in and some live picture on the Council website. - What do you think Hugh?

TheBaldIbis said...

Steve, we had Kestrels breeding next to Peregrines at a Tod sight so they might get along??????