Still waiting for our Swifts to return to Sunderland (22 years running), has anyone got theirs back yet further south :)
How exciting! Please let us know if the swifts like your fabulous swift house!
Been out tonight and found another nest site! There's probably more in that area, so will go there again. Any swift news from anyone else?
Hi - greenbird.Alls well here.Have given up trying to take pictures for the time being :-) It might be easier when the yearlings arrive later.Not much screaming going on apart from when I check on them returning after sunset.There`s a pipistrelle that lives in the same block.Their bed time coincides with its `morning`....I think it wakes up whether it likes it or not. :-)
Lone Swift.
Have still got my fingers & toes crossed - Italjohn.
Good to hear, EB! And lovely picture. Poor bat, though. Whilst I'm extremely fond of swifts, I wouldn't want to share living space with them....
They are back in their usual places round here. Tonight I went for a run and saw plenty screaming along in parties of four or five. Also, much to my surprise, saw a Hobby over my street just as it was getting dark - have never seen one round here before. I wondered if it was hunting Swifts - with temperatures so low, Hobbies must be struggling to find their usual insect prey (and it's probably the same for the Swifts).
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Wow - a hobby! I've never seen one in UK, only in France. Hope the swifts survived though.......
And on the seeing-birds-you-don't-normally-see theme, I saw a Red Kite flying over Cardiff today. That's a first for me. I'm used to seeing peregrines, buzzards and sparrowhawks over the city, but I've not seen a kite this far south before.
If anyone's still awake - it's all kicking off in one of the Polish swift nests! There's a big fight going on! Looks like there's an intruder.
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I was beginning to wonder whether swifts are out and about at night and I think this shows they are.
Order seems to have been restored in nest box 4 - just the two swifts in the nest box now.
There was a very funny moment during the fight last night. Whilst the two (presumably) male swifts were grappling each other, the (presumably) female swift waddled over to the pair and started a bit of billing and cooing with one of the protagonists. Then she waddled back to her nest. Giving him a bit of moral support, I suppose.
Up in Sunderland, my first site of the swifts yesterday, 3 of them screeching away. Never saw any use our nest site, then today witnessed them going in and out. The group of 3 occasionally become four while flying around. We have told new neighbours that they have a yearly used nest and asked they accept them as temporary lodgers, they seemed very keen to let them nest, so we will keep an eye on their nest too. But hey! I am so pleased they have returned 23 years running :)
That's good news, Davey! I may come to regret saying this....... But there are definitely more swifts around in my area this year. I've just been round to visit my local colony and discovered another nest site, so there are at least 6 nests there. They were swooping around screaming their heads off and very deftly avoiding the telephone wires that are strung across the road where most of the nests are! So much for them not coping well with obstacles!