A second swift arrived on 13th May and is clearly the partner of the first one in Box 3. It entered Box 3 yesterday but so far they have not roosted together. Here they are together, video taken yesterday afternoon.
Thursday 16 May 2024
Sunday 12 May 2024
Back again!
Hooray, one of the swifts from Box 3 returned yesterday evening, and this morning it is out and about with what looks to be it's partner. So hopefully both swifts will return to Box 3 this evening!
Sunday 6 August 2023
Tuesday 25 July 2023
At last we had an interested prospector flying around the house yesterday and this morning and it actually entered Box 6 this morning and had a look around. Our three youngsters in Box 3 were still on the nest with the parent bird out for food. The prospector then entered their box whilst the parent was away and it briefly attacked the youngsters. Two of the youngsters then fledged - we saw the second one go at exactly 12.45. The parent then returned with food and a fight ensued, with the remaining youngster hiding away in the corner. At first we thought it was dead as it didn't move for a long time but it was just a bit traumatised and appears to be OK now. Here are some videos:
In the above video you can see the three youngsters in Box 3, and the newcomer having a look in Box 6.
In this second video you can see the one remaining youngster hiding away in the corner whilst the parent bird, the one with the full bolus, is fighting with the intruder. This went on for a few minutes, with both birds eventually exiting the box. The youngster appeared a bit traumatised but returned to the nest and at the time of writing, Tuesday late afternoon, is still there. We think it may be away tomorrow though. Hopefully the intruder will return and resume it's inspection of Box 6!
Friday 21 July 2023
Here's today's video of our three youngsters. They're nearly ready to leave. As you can see the parent bird comes in to feed and there’s a mad frenzy as they all gather round. It all happens very quickly, as the parent is raising the young on its own and needs to get out as soon as possible for more food. They're all pretty hungry!