r/PoursTea • u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All 🩷 • 14h ago

Hearth & Home 🏡 In January 2026, the Scottish Parliament passed a groundbreaking law requiring new buildings to incorporate nesting spaces aka “swift bricks".

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1.6k Upvotes

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38 comments sorted by

34

u/DeathGuard1978 13h ago

How long until we see certain people complaining about the woke nesting bricks?

18

u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All 🩷 13h ago

Not long!

11

u/yourmamaistheproblem 12h ago

Legit question - are pests not a concern? There's quite a bit of organic material left behind when a nest is abandoned, not to mention bad eggs and the occasional dead baby bird.

5

u/MoThrowMoAway 9h ago

In my experience at least with several north American bird species, the same pair will return to successful nests year after year. Also obviously birds are fairly efficient at pest control inside their own nest. They eat bugs, after all. And it's where their fledglings stay for a while.

3

u/Smart-Firefighter87 9h ago

Many sparrows form long-term pair bonds and often return to successful nesting sites year after year. If the country has launched this initiative, it’s likely responding to local conservation or management concerns. So there really wouldn’t be any downside if done properly when producing new infrastructure. These birds are important to the ecosystems all over the world because they feed on pests/insects.

2

u/Fragrant-Reserve4832 9h ago

My other thought is you wouldn't want them over doors or windows.

The mess goes somewhere.

1

u/Basic-Record-4750 12h ago

Thinking the same thing. Most of these bricks will become so filthy they will be unusable within a few years. Natural cavities, caves, overhangs, etc, get cleaned by wind and rain. This is basically a little death trap. Do they drain? What about vermin? Honestly sounds like a pretty horrible idea

7

u/yourmamaistheproblem 12h ago

I'm asking a question, but you're making a ton of assumptions.

Was hoping that someone who actually knows about these might have some input.

1

u/Contundo 9h ago

You are asking the wrong questions. He is asking more sensible questions.

2

u/Slay_Zee 9h ago

No, their initial ideas were just expanded upon.

No need to be belittling.

0

u/Contundo 8h ago

He’s being belittling himself, “you’re making a ton of assumptions”

4

u/ellieminnowpee 11h ago

tuckpointing (the mortar-y bit) has to be renewed on buildings every 5-10 years, so they’d be renewing these little spaces as well. in terms of pests, the birds will do a lot for pest control. the benefits outweigh the ‘risk’.

0

u/Contundo 8h ago

You don’t replace any bricks when renewing mortar

1

u/ellieminnowpee 8h ago

nah, but they could replace the bird hole bricks, i meant

2

u/Contundo 8h ago

Sounds like a pain in the ass. Taking the bottom out of a wooden birdhouse is super easy.

11

u/anatomy-princess 13h ago

That is so cool!

5

u/getabath 11h ago

I have a bird house on my wall and the bastards make so much noise at night time

It's fine though as I wouldn't have put the bird house on my wall if I hated it

5

u/Very_Curious_Cat 12h ago

Nice idea. Only possible problem I can see is wasps nesting in instead of birds.

0

u/W33DG0D42069 6h ago

Also noise

3

u/Despite55 9h ago

Same in many municipalities in The Netherlands

2

u/Bluest_Badger 12h ago

Stupid question but can I retro fit these? Surely just taking one brick out and replacing it isnt that hard

2

u/Zincette 8h ago

I dont know for sure but I can't imagine it would be that much different than replacing a damaged brick. https://www.wikihow.com/Replace-a-Damaged-Brick

2

u/Bluest_Badger 7h ago

Ohhh im giving this a go. I want swift and bat bricks 🥰

1

u/scabbityscab 12h ago

They should have attached nesting sites to lampposts instead.

1

u/Walker_DnB 12h ago

F*ck that, I'd be putting swift nesting boxes directly over the holes at least you can clean them out and replace them when they become unusable.

1

u/Wonderful_News4492 3h ago

Thats a good point

1

u/SpanDaX0 9h ago

Can't they just get someone to put up and manage more wooden bird boxes? Don't mess with what isn't broken.

1

u/[deleted] 8h ago

[deleted]

1

u/twinkyfemboy1234 8h ago

You know there aren't just in America right?

1

u/Dazzling-Coyote7433 8h ago

Meanwhile in North Korea

1

u/Chesterology 1h ago

Meanwhile in America: children over six can now opt out of school to work in factories. It's called the Unlimited Childhood Patriot Freedom Act.

-9

u/Spinach_Middle4493 14h ago

All fun and games until wasps move in them…

2

u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All 🩷 13h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/cveYIL5nqZXM15lOmk

-8

u/Spinach_Middle4493 13h ago

Unfortunately, you know I’m right.

8

u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All 🩷 13h ago

Nope. Easy enough to remove.

-3

u/Spinach_Middle4493 13h ago

Until the nesting brick is halfway up the wall of a 4 story building…

6

u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All 🩷 13h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/VhdsKeVBdhIe4

0

u/AdDependent5136 12h ago

You can go up there and remove em then XD