Network Rail to install bird boxes at High Peak viaduct after outcry over swift nests
Network Rail says it will install new bird nesting boxes at a High Peak viaduct after facing criticism over potential disturbance caused to an endangered species following critical repair work to the Victorian structure.
The railway infrastructure body carried out an urgent repair earlier this year to a 14-metre masonry fracture in the grade II listed Chapel Milton viaduct, on the outskirts of Chapel-en-le-Frith, to allow continued safe passage of heavy freight trains from the limestone quarries and industries around Buxton.
While representatives insist they went above and beyond in their ecological assessments before work began, some local conservationists began to flap when they saw that holes thought to have been used by nesting swifts had been filled in by repair contractors.
With the birds on their way back to Derbyshire after migrating to Africa for the winter, the matter became increasingly urgent and reached national headlines last week.
Swift campaigner Deb Pitman said: “Seeing footage of what happens when swifts return to a blocked nest is deeply upsetting. They repeatedly try to access their entry point, sometimes with fatal consequences. They can kill themselves trying to access it.
“It is thought established breeding pairs do not successfully relocate to a new nest site. In effect, when a nest site is lost, they stop breeding.”
She added: “Network Rail refurbished the viaduct in nesting season last year, and denied there were swifts, I found swifts and told them where they were.
“They pointed over three nests in February, and I’ve only just noticed. That’s six fewer birds in the sky, with numbers declining.”
Swift populations in the UK have fallen dramatically over the past 30 years, to the point where they were red-listed as an endangered species and it was made illegal to disturb nests.
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Enquires into this are ongoing and it’s currently sitting with our wildlife crime team.”
As previously reported, efforts have been going on across the High Peak to monitor and support the resurgence of a species which were once a common sight in local communities.
Jason Adshead, from the Chapel Biodiversity Group, said: “We spent a great deal of time monitoring the work at the viaduct last year and we have evidence showing where the nest sites are. It’s information we shared with Network Rail.
“We sincerely hope they will arrange for the nest holes to be reopened before the birds return in numbers. Swifts are the sight and sound of summer and we are incredibly lucky to have them here.”
Network Rail says it responded to those survey results by commissioning its own ecological study during nesting season last summer, and found no evidence of swifts inhabiting the particular part of the viaduct – span three – where the repairs were needed.
Follow-up testing was reportedly carried out at the end of the season in September, with endoscope cameras inserted into any holes in span three to search for any indicators of nests.
When repointing work to the masonry was finally commissioned in February, Network Rail maintains that there was still no evidence of swifts found in span three and therefore any holes blocked in the process would have no impact on the birds.
Now work is complete, representatives say those holes cannot be unblocked without compromising safety.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We took the welfare of swifts at this location extremely seriously. Although swifts have been observed flying near the viaduct, our independent ecological surveys — which went beyond our legal requirements — found no evidence of active nesting in the areas where structural works took place.
“The project team followed agreed ecological protection procedures, including pre-work checks on the morning of works to confirm no birds were present. Works were deliberately programmed outside nesting season to avoid disturbance. These measures reflect our commitment to protecting wildlife, not simply our legal obligations.”
Nevertheless, recognising the local strength of feeling around the issue, Network Rail has made a gesture in what it describes as “a genuine commitment to supporting swift conservation at this historic structure.”
The spokesperson said: “Following permission from High Peak Borough Council, we are now planning to install RSPB-recommended swift-specific bird boxes on the viaduct to enhance biodiversity and provide additional nesting opportunities for returning swifts.”