One of two of the structures built at Paradise Creek Nature Park for nesting chimney swifts. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

PORTSMOUTH — The tallest hill in Paradise Creek Nature Park is Portsmouth’s highest piece of land. On its crest is a tall, cream-colored tower to house chimney swifts.

Like their name suggests, swifts like to nest in chimneys. The rough interior walls — where the mortar spills out between the bricks — offer a perfect spot for the birds to grip and build their nests. Swifts prefer hollowed-out trees but will use smokestacks in factories, schools and houses to roost. That’s why they are considered a nuisance.

Homeowners and businesses often cover their chimneys, which denies the swifts — helpful in bug control — a place to live.

So the Elizabeth River Project teamed with the Tidewater Woodworkers Guild, Cape Henry Audubon Society and the Department of Wildlife Resources to build the towers at the park.

Fran Foster, president of the guild, built the towers in his garage and several members helped with moving and installing them.

“The factories are gone and people are capping their chimneys, so the swifts really need this,” said Larry Lapell, parks operations manager at the Elizabeth River Project.

Notice the stiff little bristles on this chimney swift's tail that help prop the little bird up as it clings to the side of a chimney flue. (Courtesy of Pat Slakey)

Pat Scanlon, a Norfolk resident, came up with the tower idea and took it to Lapell. They agreed one chimney should be placed on the hill for people to see and another at the bottom where the swifts can nest privately. About three dozen birds can roost in the tops of the 11-foot towers and each nest can hold three to five eggs.

The builders used “rough-cut wood” in the towers so the swifts will have a place to grip and build nests.

“They use their saliva as kind of like a glue to help the materials they gather to stick together,” Scanlon said.

Keeping the birds warm at night and cool during the day was another consideration. Builders used foil-backed foam panels, which reflect heat.

Protection from predators was another concern. To prevent bees and wasps from entering the towers, screens were used on the bottom to block the ventilation holes while still letting air pass. The metal legs of the tower are greased in Vaseline to prevent snakes and other critters from climbing and entering the tower to steal eggs or hunt the birds.

The process also involved months of fundraising and getting the proper materials; some of the parts had to be specially ordered because they were not sold in Virginia.

The swifts are an important part of the ecosystem, Lapall said, because they help control the bug population. Scanlan said swifts spend most of their lives flying with their mouths open, catching insects, including mosquitoes. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, swifts can travel up to 500 miles per day.

Much of the nature park is planted with more than 3,000 native species and fruit-bearing trees such as pawpaw that attract bugs.

Lapell and Scanlon believe there is an economic benefit to having the swifts around: tourism. People will travel to watch the swifts dance through the sky and plummet into chimneys.

Everett Eaton, 262-902-7896, everett.eaton@virginiamedia.com