Campaigners Report Blocked Swift Nesting Holes in Derbyshire Railway Viaduct Refurbishment

Campaigners have reported that swifts returning to Britain to breed may be unable to access ancestral nesting holes on a Derbyshire railway viaduct. refurbishment of the twin viaducts at Chapel Milton, on the edge of the Peak District. Network Rail carried out the work on the structures.

Nature groups appealed to Network Rail to unblock specific holes, which are located in tiny gaps in the stonework. Campaigners provided details on swift nesting sites. The holes were filled with mortar.

Network Rail began the refurbishment last summer while swifts were nesting. An ecological report commissioned by Network Rail found no evidence of nesting swifts, though the report was not required by law. Swift watchers challenged this finding with evidence indicating nest sites.

later acknowledged the presence of swift holes and stated it worked around the nesting birds.

The company created exclusion zones after consulting ecologists. Repairs to the masonry were completed after the bird nesting season. British Transport Police's wildlife crime team is investigating whether nesting birds were disturbed.

The investigation follows a report by campaigners last summer. Campaigners plan a vigil beneath the viaduct on Saturday to urge reopening of the holes before swifts return around the end of April to breed.

A Network Rail spokesperson said the teams identified potential swift nests during the work and ensured protection through exclusion zones.

The spokesperson added that Network Rail welcomes collaboration with local groups to install additional nest boxes alongside existing sites. Campaigners shared monitoring evidence with Network Rail. They stated that preserving the tiny swift holes would have no impact on the viaduct's structural integrity.

Britain's swift population has declined, due to the loss of nesting holes in older roofs and buildings.

Swifts are migratory birds that have bred in Britain for centuries.