If this means a new extension, or even an outdoor room, it could eat into our garden and the area that we can make available for wildlife.

However, all is not lost, because buildings can also be a home to wildlife. Just a little thought can make a huge difference, as well as provide a great deal of enjoyment.

A great example of this can be seen from the roadside, so no trespassing is required.

Michael and Sara Batty are currently erecting a new building on the Beezon Lodge site, Kendal, which will be two commercial units. However, what they have done, can easily be incorporated into any domestic new build or extension.

If you look carefully, you will see the tell-tale sign of swift bricks high in the gable end near the road, and also under the eaves in the commercial courtyard. In order to celebrate the new swift housing, the building will be called Swift Lodge.

Sara says, “Putting the swift bricks in was no trouble at all. We bought them on the internet and they arrived within the week. The key thing for us was to have them when the builders were ready for them. They were the right size to fit in place of a standard brick”. She continues “The builders were happy, and that was the main thing.”

Ros Taylor of Kendal Swifts, who works to stop the decline of the swift population in Kendal, says “It’s encouraging that we are starting to see swift bricks appear in all kinds of buildings in Kendal. Internal swift bricks are cheap, easy to fit, maintenance free and permanent. They provide habitat for a range of birds, not just swifts, so are an easy biodiversity win.”

Swifts arrive in Kendal on about May 7^th each year. They depart around the end of July.

Swifts are on the British Trust for Ornithology’s Red-list of Birds of Conservation Concern because they are in serious decline. Their latest figures show a 62% decline over the last 25 years.

Facebook: Kendal Swifts Group or email: kendalswifts@outlook.com

There are swift groups around the country, and Europe, listed here if you would like to see more swifts in your area.