Network Rail Blocks Swift Nesting Holes at Chapel Milton Viaduct

Network Rail Blocks Swift Nesting Holes at Chapel Milton Viaduct - Campaigners Demand Urgent Action

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Network Rail Blocks Swift Nesting Holes at Chapel Milton Viaduct - Campaigners Demand Action

Swifts returning to the High Peak from their 14,000-mile migration from Africa are facing a devastating blow - their ancestral nesting holes at Chapel Milton Viaduct have been filled with mortar during a £7.5 million refurbishment by Network Rail.

At least three known swift nesting sites were sealed during the works, despite local campaigners identifying at least nine nesting locations and submitting 38 pieces of photographic evidence directly to Network Rail before work began.

Swifts are among the most loyal of all migratory birds, returning year after year to the exact same nesting holes - sometimes the same tiny gap in stonework used by generations of the same family. When those entrances are blocked, swifts do not simply find another site. Many fail to relocate and stop breeding altogether.

The UK swift population has declined by 66% since 1995, largely due to the gradual loss of nesting spaces in buildings and structures. Campaigners argue that what happened at Chapel Milton was entirely preventable - the evidence was provided, the locations were known, and the solution was simple: leave the gaps open.

Network Rail has said it will work with local groups and may install nest boxes in future. But wildlife groups argue that replacement boxes do not help birds returning right now, and are calling on Network Rail's Chief Executive to reopen the blocked holes immediately before the 2026 breeding season is lost. A petition has been launched and is gathering significant public support.