Swift boxes, paintings and book for Sale
Lester Hartmann at Peak Boxes makes a wide range of award winning swift boxes to fit any aspect. His boxes include many of my special design features (such as feathered nest cups and landing strips) which have been so successful around my house. See this video below.
The swift boxes from Peak Boxes are made from sheets of spruce ply that comes from sustainably managed forests. This ply has excellent rain resistance qualities as well as a breathable surface allowing any dampness from inside the box to evaporate. With a wall thickness of 18mm each box is well built and structurally sound. All screws and fittings are stainless steel. Roofs are coated with a water based heat reflective aluminium roofing paint to reduce internal temperatures on hot days. Every swift box has an internal nest cup lined with feathers to encourage nest building. Some designs also have ribbed landing strips underneath their entrance holes to aid access. A separate mounting plate for easy fixing is also supplied. The exterior can be overpainted. There are a wide range of different designs to choose from and now a new innovation has optional bat-backs to make them combination swift/bat boxes. Triangular Apex Boxes can be made to order depending on how many compartments you want. This design that fits in the gable end has proved very popular with swifts!
Single box bottom opening, 2 tier corner box and 3 tier Apex box (6 compartments)
Getting swifts to use your new box can be quite difficult at the beginning. However one thing that really does work is to play their attraction calls near to your new box. I used an old CD player, but most people use mp3 players nowadays.
If you would like to buy a swift box then please order direct from Peak Boxes
Bristol Swifts receives no financial gain for recommending Peak Boxes, which is a family run business based in the Peak District.
Lester and his family at Peak Boxes won the Best in Show and Best Commercial Stand awards at Birdfair 2019.
Jonathan Pomroy – Wildlife & Landscape Artist
Jonathan Pomroy is a talented wildlife and landscape artist, but that’s not how I got to know him. I first became aware of Jonathan when he wrote this wonderful article about attracting swifts to his home near Bradford-upon-Avon, see this link. That was over fifteen years ago and it still remains one of the best thing I’ve ever read about swifts. At that time I was just beginning my own ‘swift journey’ and I was looking to others for inspiration. I was so enthralled by what he had done that I just had to meet up with him. We’ve been good friends ever since.
Jane and I love all his paintings and sketches. Like all brilliant artists he captures the true essence of whatever subject he draws. He is fascinated by all wildlife, but swifts are his real passion. He has kindly given us permission to show a selection of his beautiful swift sketches.
He has also written and illustrated a book on swifts entitled ‘On Crescent Wings’ which sadly has currently sold out. When he’s not working he still manages to find time to write a fascinating wildlife blog, beautifully illustrated of course, which you can read on his website under Archives.
If you would like to see more of Jonathan’s work or buy his cards, paintings or prints then please go to this link.
Justin Anderson – Children’s Author and Swift enthusiast
In 2023 we were contacted by Justin a local swift enthusiast and children’s author. He came over to ask advice about putting boxes up on his house, he also mentioned that he was in the process of writing a book about swifts for children, aged 4- 8 years. We spent a lovely afternoon chatting with him about swifts. His book has just been published and we think it’s really lovely and we’re sure our grandchildren will love it when they get a bit older. Here is a link to buy ‘Super Swifts – The Small Bird with Amazing Powers’ by Justin Anderson.
