In context of swiftlet farming, most would consider locations in close vicinity to an existing bird house nucleus. Land and property prices escalate rapidly once an area is established. Capitals pouring into new buildings usually out pace the natural growth rate of the bird population.
Pak Phanang, probably the most establish nucleus in southern Thailand. No other place I've been to that the 'bird nest' buildings are so blatantly displayed. All large buildings here are bird houses, huge 7 storey are common! Unless you are an early bird or with loads of cash, entry barrier here is formidable.
The next best locations are along flight paths where birds go in search of food, especially the return path in late afternoons. So one must really do some homework in this regard. If birds have feeding range of 50KM (as commonly cited), then it make sense to survey an area within 50KM radius from establish nucleus. It is best to check out first on Google Earth for a bird's eye view of the entire area, followed by field trips to sample birds in feeding grounds.
A relatively new nucleus (mark in red box) further north along the Thai coast. Even here land prices rose dramatically in recent years. Note the close proximity of feeding grounds and rivers. Birds have to feed afar as it is insufficient here to support a large population.
If you know the feeding grounds well, there is no need to even consider flight paths. As in my case, the bird house is sited within feeding grounds and 15KM and 30KM from two established nucleus; just 300m away from an established bird house.
IMHO, this is a better approach. I avoid paying high premium on land cost and birds can feed late into evening hours. I did consider initial growth rate may not match those new bird houses right in the nucleus, but so far it is not yet proven.
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