Last of the Swifts

The last of the Swifts have gone from their nest sites , a Juvenile or possibly two flew from the second nest site located on the side of my house , a tricky exit as they can only leave at an angle so its not just a case of launching into the air . The two adults of the first night spent about 5 days roosting in the nest site , with much mutual preening I suppose it's the only way they get too know each other  and even then its pitch dark in the site. Still swifts around with a few over the house and some over Cresswell the other day ,but it won't be long till they are all gone for another year.

Last of the Juveniles(possibly two from here)just before it left the site, it's a tight fit, the adults on returning every year have to make many attempts before landing just right ,as the season progresses they hit the entrance spot on .

This video is just as it was recorded ,it's the two adults having returned to the nest site to roost , pair bonding with much mutual preening and calling .

Common Swift CCTV

Well its coming to that time of year where the Swifts nesting in the loft will soon be leaving the site ,I put the camera on this evening and I thought I can't tell which is adult and which is the juvenile then I realised they are both adults ,the juvenile can't have left already surely but a movement at the entrance caught my eye. The juvenile finally comes back into the nest after watching out into the night it looks like it can't wait to get out into the sky above , it returns to the entrance and seems to get chastised by the adults as they scream at it "get back in" this week I found the tiny corpse of the other youngster that either fell out or was pushed out as the adults  left. I shall miss them again as it seems a long spell till they return !!!!!

Swift CCTV

Turned on the CCTV  in the Common Swifts nest to find the juvenile on it's own and it was now after ten at night ,so I was curious to see just what time they returned so I set the record in motion and had to trim more than than ten minutes of the young bird anxiously waiting for the adults to return , interesting how they both returned at the very same time, could be just a coincidence but more likely they had been feeding together , you can even hear a passing siren towards the end !
Bit of a scrum when they do return but  don't forget it's pitch dark in there not even light coming through the entrance  .
Because of the trimming changing formats etc: it's best just to view as is,

Common Swift CCTV

Edit:An hour later , it's eventually stopped raining and within minutes both adults are sitting at the entrance and eventually leave , could they sense this rain would ease and decided to wait rather than travel further to feed ?

Apus apus

Just an update re the Common swifts nesting in the loft of my house on the North-east coast of the UK, one of the chicks has disappeared which is sad as they  both seemed fit and healthy . Its raining outside and has been virtually for the past couple of days  , here a nest site sheltered from the elements comes into its own ,no nest to build so it's straight down to breeding , the nest site is well sheltered  and safe from predators although it can get very warm in the loft during the usually warm summer. Swifts usually feed in ahead of a weather front  sometimes going hundreds of miles to find food , a Swift in off the sea the other day could have come from the continent . Today both adults are with the chick and have been all morning , perhaps hoping for it to clear up so they can feed themselves and the single youngster.

Swift nest cam

9:30 on the 27th of May just had a quick look at the Swift nest cam two birds present doing a lot of mutual preening , still can't get the sound to record which is very disappointing I'm sure they are very vocal during this preening . 

Swifts 1-8-2011

Edit :- The Swifts have now flown the nest and that's it for another year, I keep checking the nest just in case they have wandered out of camera range  and will also check incase the adults return as they did one year and roosted for 3-4 nights before departing. 

Just noticed the size of the gape so I have taken a snapshot from the video , that's one huge gape for such a small bird , the bill seems to be used purely for preening  itself , partner or the young this in particular looks rather a rough affair .

1st of August already ,looking at the Swifts tonight it's getting harder to tell the young from the adults , it's getting to that time when they will be leaving the nest and not long after that they will all be heading South , it's always good to see them go  but sad at the same time , always seems such a long time till they are with us again. So one evening I will turn on the camera to find an empty nest again, I have no idea as to what is happening with the other nest , I can only hope they will have reached fledging also .

Swifts 22-07-11

Checked up on the progress of the two Swift chicks up in the loft ,seconds before an Adult sat in the opening surveying the outside eventually flying off, the two young are progressing fantastically and its fantastic to watch ,there is another nest located above the drive here there is a collection of droppings on the ground and has been for sometime indicating the young are backing up to the entrance to defecate whereas these two have only recently started to do this , below this nest is the roof of the  utility room  there is a good growth of Lichen that apparently needs the presence of bird droppings to start growing.

In the previous clip I thought it was one of the parents present ,but now think it was a prospecting  bird that went in looking for a site 

Swifts-update

Thursday 14 July 11:00

Just an update of the progress of the two Swift chicks they have changed enormously in the past week , I had just switched on when the Adult came in but missed it in the delay before recording begins.

Swifts 5-7-11

Just an update of the progress of the chicks it's amazing how they have grown in such a short time , it should be very warm in the loft, so I would imagine they will be left  for longer periods, about a dozen Swifts flying back and forth this am occasionally checking under the eaves for sites. 

Swifts 2-7-11

EDIT:- just added the above as the chicks where stretching 

Just a short update on the Swifts still 2 chicks they seem to have put on some weight ,the parents are not the gentlest of birds watch for one of the chicks  get its head caught up in the wing, the female has left at the moment but the chicks are just lying in a heap . The male roosts in the nest at night and preens the female the poor chicks just get trampled on.

Swifts -Eggs

Just a very short video of the Swifts, Female has been sitting when I have checked but on this occasion the bird had left it was a warm early evening  you can just see two eggs marked with the V, it's the first time I have seen the eggs , I thought they would look much whiter in the infra red light. I took video in the hope the female would come back as I watched but no. bird sitting 9th @ 9:45

Edit::- for some reason the controls do not show for the video  ?????

Edit:- Edit:- the eggs are just over the beam within the "V"

Swifts + Edit

My first Swift of the year was this one in the roof space nest could only see the wing tip at first so have moved the camera over , still can't seem to get sound as I can through the TV ,when the two birds are together and suddenly scream out it frightens the life out of you . Not great quality but it is pitch black in there.

I seem to have got the sound to work although there is no sound on this clip,looks like I will have to move the camera again, watch out for the flat fly that runs across its back  !!!!!!!!!!

Monday 23rd 9am two birds present with mutual preening, entrance on the left