Barnes swift project installs nesting boxes and invites residents on evening walks
25 June 2026 · By Boroughly editorial — AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
A quiet but rather lovely conservation effort is under way in Barnes. Local charity Barnes Common Limited, supported by a grant from Richmond Council's Civic Pride Fund, has installed around 30 swift boxes on a dozen houses across Barnes this spring — and some households have added audio calling systems to help attract the birds to potential nest sites.
Swifts have declined by more than 60 per cent in Britain over the past 30 years, largely due to the loss of nesting opportunities in older buildings. The boxes are designed to give the two- and three-year-old birds that arrive in late May and early June — prospecting for sites ahead of breeding next year — somewhere new to consider.
Barnes Common Limited is now inviting residents to join the Barnes Swift Group and help repeat the project in 2027. Evening swift watch walks are being held in June and July to assess how many birds are present locally. The walks are ticketed and can be booked via the Barnes Common website.
It is a gentle, accessible way to get involved in wildlife conservation on your own doorstep. Full details, including how to book a walk and how to support next year's box installation, are on the council's Barnes swifts page.