2012 Swifts

Hi Italjohn

I read about your amazing swift house on the Action for Swifts blog - and it's just lovely! I just hope the swifts like it as much as I do........ they can be rather ungrateful.....!

I remember on the blog it said that you are quite far north in Norway - do you have many swifts in your area?

EB - I had to look really hard to see your lovely swifts! There's one that's reasonably visible, but the rest took some spotting.

Saw three swifts in a "new" area for us tonight, but didn't find any nest sites. Think we went out a bit late. We'll try a bit earlier next week.

Hi there greenbird.

We have 3 colonys in my town (That I know of) I recon we have approx. 10-15 breeding couples left. The old high houses in town has been re-roofed over the last 10 years, and this has reduced the swift population. Some have established a new colony in a high office building not far from where I live. I x my fingers and hope to get some swifts to move in "with me" this summer :-)

I really hope they do - you deserve them! I think there's a wire coming out of the swift house, so does this mean you are playing swift calls to attract them?

Please let us know how you get on - I'll definitely keep my fingers crossed for you!

Yes I have a tweeter in each room. The wire is now glued to the house, so it's not in the way for the swifts. Here is the sound setup. actionforswifts.blogspot.no/.../the-cheng-sheng-player-amplifier.html

Hi Italjohn. That`s a brilliant home for Swifts.I don`t know which is the best Swift CD.Norway won the 2009 Eurovision song contest.I wouldnt play that myself! :-) I am keeping my fingers & toes crossed for you.

greenbird.I hope there`s about 20 - which is usual for this stage of proceedings.I click on the picture & then enlarge it but get lost in the clouds...

I don't think there's anymore you can do, except hope that they appreciate all the trouble you've gone to for them.

My local swifts have been back now for 11 days, but for the last week the weather has been very poor, so the swifts have been feeding over a large nearby lake. Today is the first day I have seen them in my area for about 6 days.

EB - it's good that your numbers seem to be holding up. The biggest swift colony we know of about has 10 pairs, but we haven't seen much of them so far. I think we'll have a better idea of how they're doing in the next couple of weeks.

And I think there might be a new nest site in my area. If the weather's ok at the weekend, I'll try to find out if my hunch is right. Fingers crossed - again!

Great pic EB - blew it up & saw at least 16!  Did you see my post about my first Swift - delivered to my door yesterday in a cardboard box!

:(  Im beginning to think our swifts are not returning, everyone has them but us.  My only hope is ive not seen any in Sunderland anywhere so maybe they are still flying north please.