Welcome to our 2025 blog page which will feature regular updates from our swift colony and the other wildlife seen in our wildlife-friendly garden in Bristol. We have 25 swift boxes around our house – see this link. 23 boxes have cameras fitted which gives us a wonderful glimpse of their secret lives from inside these hidden spaces. Here is a link to the 2024 blog.
Sunday 15th June
Open Garden update. We’ve decided to open our garden next Sunday 22nd June for NGS charities. The weather looks good and there’s plenty of swift action at the moment, hopefully that will continue. The opening times will be 12.30-4.30pm. Adults £5 Children free. We’ll be showing Live webcam video from inside our nest boxes as we have 12 pairs with chicks. Plants for sale, but sorry no refreshments. Details will appear on the NGS website hopefully tomorrow and we’ll add a link as soon as we can.
We’re roughly about half way through the swift season already, where did that time go! Its been pretty good up to now. The weather has been reasonably kind except for a few days at the beginning of June which took it’s toll on one of the chicks in a brood of 3. However there are more insects around than I can remember seeing for years and all the remaining chicks are doing fine. The third egg in nb4 north hatched yesterday taking the total of chicks to 27 (including one fatality). I’ve only one pair left now with eggs, nb5 south. They’re a recently formed pair and their eggs aren’t meant to hatch until the end of June. I also have 3 other pairs that have yet to lay – nb1 & 3 west and nb6 north. Whether they do is now just a matter of luck and the weather. If it stays warm and the insects are still around in some numbers then they just might have a go. Nb1 west and nb6 north are new pairs this season so they’re young inexperienced birds. The further we go into June the less likely they will breed, but you never know. Whereas nb3 west is a different make-up. In that box is an old established breeder that arrive back on 9th May. It has been single ever since, that is until yesterday when it brought a new partner back. So it’s a mixture of the old and the young. I just have a feeling that the established bird is a female so they just might surprise me and lay an egg relatively quickly. In the photo below the established bird (female?) is on the left and the newcomer on the right.
Saturday 14th June
Another 4 eggs hatched yesterday. Both eggs in nb2 west and two out of the three eggs in nb2 north. Total number of chicks 26 (one fatality).
Yesterday was very warm and humid which the swifts love. There was non-stop prospecting virtually all day long. I was trying to cut the hedge in readiness for our open day and I kept being distracted by all the noise. I think it took me an hour longer than normal to cut! The peak times for this activity was from 6am until 1pm and again from 7pm until 10pm. There was a slight lull in the afternoon when they only visited every half hour or so. I saw new birds enter several of my unoccupied boxes again, but their main focus was on the boxes with chicks inside. They seem to be fascinated by them and spend a great deal of time flying up to these boxes and peeping inside. Even though I had lots of prospecting none of these new birds roosted in any of my boxes overnight. Whereas my mate George who only lives a couple of roads away has 6 boxes and he told he had 4 pairs take up residency in the last few days. His boxes have been up for 3 years without any joy until this year. It’s just like the buses, you wait ages for one and in his case four turn up together!
The warmth brought out the first Rose Chafers of the year. These large shiny green beetles make quite a noise when flying about and tend to crash land onto flowers. They’re a favourite food of the local Jackdaws who spend a great deal of time and effort chasing them around the garden.
Friday 13th June
Both eggs in nb12 west hatched yesterday taking the number of chicks to 22 (including one fatality).
Colony status. 15 pairs and 1 singleton in my camera boxes – 9 pairs have chicks, 3 pairs on eggs and another 3 pairs yet to lay. Plus another pair in nb7 north. 33 swifts in total.
The first Crataerina Pallida (parasitic swift louse-fly) of the year has just appeared in nb2 west. No doubt arriving on the back of the newcomers who’ve be visiting all the colonies in the area. It’s how this pesky parasite moves from colony to colony despite all my best effort to keep it out of my boxes. It will be interesting to see how many other boxes get infested by them over the coming days. The LH photo – eggs. Middle photo – Crataerina Pallida. RH photo – size comparison to a human hand.
There’s still a few thousand swifts just across the North Sea in Belgium and Holland according to Trektellen. As soon as the weather conditions allow they will make the short flight across the sea. The weather forecast looks really promising from Sunday onwards, so I expect we’ll see them arriving over the weekend and into the early part of next week.
Thursday 12th June
The newcomers were back with a vengeance yesterday. Difficult to count them accurately as they move so fast but I reckon at least 8, possibly more. I saw them peeping inside or entering several of my unoccupied boxes which is a good sign. Without doubt it was the best day of the season so far. I managed to film this video of some of the action but it really doesn’t do them justice. They were targeting all my boxes but seemed to really like annoying the residents in the three boxes on the south side at the back of my house. Maybe because two of the boxes had newly hatched chicks inside. They were active almost non-stop for the whole morning, slowing down slightly in the afternoon before picking up again in the evening. Wonderful day. With thundery downpours forecast today I don’t expect to see much action, but next week is looking really promising.
Another 3 eggs hatched yesterday. The third ones in both nb2 and nb3 south, plus the 2nd egg in nb3 north (which probably hatched on Tuesday judging by the size of the chick). With these latest hatchings the total number of chicks is now 20 (including one fatality). I now have three newly hatched broods of 3 (nb2 & 3 south and nb5 west). Let’s hope they fare a bit better than my first two broods of 3.
Wednesday 11th June
What a difference a day makes. The second foster chick is almost unrecognisable as it’s grown so much in the last day and a half. The adults in nb6 west are really attentive and have been bringing in lots of food. They also share the feed evenly between both chicks which really makes a big difference. In a few days time they’ll stop doing that as the chicks will eat the whole bolus themselves. The problem I seem to get with broods of three is twofold I think. Firstly if the eggs hatch over several days then there’s a marked size difference between siblings and secondly if this occurs during a period of poor weather food is brought in less often. If the weather doesn’t improve it only takes a few days for the smallest chick to wither away and die. However if the eggs hatch over a much shorter period and the weather remains fine then all the chicks start at a similar size and continue to grow at the same rate. The chances of any one chick becoming too dominant is considerably reduced. As I’ve got three broods of 3 that have just hatched in the last couple of days I’m hoping for the latter – nb5 west, nb4 north & nb3 south.
Besides keeping a watchful eye on events in nb6 west yesterday there were lots of other thing happening as well. The new pair in nb5 south laid their 1st egg. They’ve been together since 20th May and it’s taken them 21 days to produce their first egg. In nb5 west there’s a third chick. I thought there was only two eggs in there but I definitely saw three little heads bobbing up and down. Total number of eggs laid to date – 33 of which 4 have been ejected and another 2 removed as infertile. Total number of chicks to date -17 (including one fatality).
The newcomers returned late yesterday afternoon and stayed until it was almost dark. I counted at least 6 and watched several enter some of my empty boxes. Whether they stay and take up permanent residence now depends on the weather.
In the warm afternoon sunshine I saw my first Beautiful Demoiselle of the year. It’s about 3 inches long with striking copper wings with green highlights and fully deserves its descriptive name.
Tuesday 10th June
Apologies for the lateness of todays blog but its been quite a hectic last 24 hours. Sadly the little foster chick didn’t survive the night, it must have been much weaker than I thought. In hindsight perhaps I should have kept it indoors overnight but it seemed to have recovered after I gave it a small feed. However things don’t stay still in the colony for long at this time of the year. In nb4 south my other pair with 3 chicks the smallest chick was also really struggling. I watched it for a while and it was obvious it wasn’t being fed. It was a few days older than the one I had just lost and thankfully still had a bit of fight left in it. Although experience had taught me that if I did nothing it would perish just like the other one. The answer was staring me the face, replace the dead chick with this one. So that’s what I did. Whilst I was waiting for the adults top go out I caught a couple of dozen flies in the garden. Around lunchtime I removed it, fed it the flies and electrolyte solution and a few minutes later placed it in nb6 west. At the same time I removed the dead chick. Within a few minutes one adult returned and fed the foster chick for the first time. A very good start was followed by more feeds during the afternoon and by nightfall I was confident it would be OK.
Quite a few eggs hatched yesterday. The first ones hatched in nb3 north and nb3 south and also two in nest 2 south. The infertile egg in nb1 south was thrown out as I thought it would be. It was 16 days old and as you can see in the photo there is no sign of any embryo. I’m sure the adults can tell when an egg is not viable, hopefully they might have another go at laying. That’s the third infertile egg this season. The newcomers who were here last week have all disappeared including the one that was roosting overnight in nb7 west. The weather is meant to warm up considerably from tomorrow, so I’m hopefully they’ll return when it does.
Monday 9th June
When things start to go downhill for a small chick they deteriorate pretty quickly so time to act is short. That’s the situation I found myself in yesterday afternoon. I was watching my cameras and 3 boxes in particular. Nb3 south as they eggs are due to hatch anytime. Nb6 west as I was hoping the last two eggs would hatch and the 3 chicks in nb5 north. It was the latter that started it all off. The three chicks in there are 5,4 and 3 days old but the size difference even at this early age was quite pronounced. The 3 day old chick was half the size of the other two. I watched the adults come back in, which unfortunately wasn’t that often and when they did it was only the biggest two that got fed. The neglected chick was really struggling and I didn’t think it would last very long without help. So whilst the adults were out I removed the chick and brought it inside the house. There I gave it some food mixed with an electrolyte solution and placed it near a heated pad. After a while it recovered and perked up considerably. I was going to keep it here overnight but seeing this improvement I decided to foster it instead into nb6 west. I opened the hatch to that box and gently placed the chick in the nest and removed the two addled eggs. The adult had left the box when it heard the hatch opening but returned a few minutes later after I had gone. My thoughts were the adults would keep it much warmer than I could overnight and there was still enough daylight for them to bring back the odd feed or two. Unfortunately I couldn’t tell how well my plan worked as the camera is at the wrong end of the box. All I could see was the back of the sitting bird which wasn’t ideal. This morning I’m anxiously awaiting to see if my plan worked.
Sunday 8th June
I think I may have tempted fate when I said only clutches of 3 caused me concern, as no sooner had I posted that yesterday then the single egg in nb1 south was knocked out the nest. I replaced it once the two birds had gone out but it was left uncovered for most of the day. I think they’ve given up on it and will eject it in the coming days. In nb5 west the first egg hatched. There’s still only 1 chick in nb6 west. I think the other two eggs might be infertile and won’t hatch. Last year they had 3 infertile eggs so something is not quite right with that pair. Still with only one chick in that nest it does allow me a fostering opportunity if one should arise.
As Saturday was a complete washout most of my blog today is about my other passion, gardening. I love gardening and wildlife and we try and combine the two together in our garden. We’ve been lucky enough to be chosen by the National Garden Scheme (NGS) to open our garden for charity, which we have done for the last 7 years. We will be opening again in a few weeks time once the weather settles down again.
On our open days we try to show the benefits of gardening for wildlife and how important it is to our wellbeing. Naturally our swifts have a starring role to play, but equally as important we like to show the others things we do to help wildlife in our garden as well. This year our garden has featured on the NGS youtube channel and The Little Yellow Book of Gardens and Health booklet. (pages 168-169) Here is a link to those pages.
Saturday 7th June
Yesterday was another very quiet day outside. All the newcomers seem to have gone at the moment, no doubt waiting for the weather to improve before returning. Looking at the forecast we have another couple of coolish days before it starts to warm up on Monday. In Bristol on Wednesday and Thursday is predicted to reach 26C which will definitely spark the activity back into life.
In the meantime I’m watching my cameras as I have several more eggs just about to hatch. I have 15 pairs in my camera boxes, 12 of which have either eggs or chicks and the other 3 are newly formed pairs who have yet to lay. Breaking down the clutch sizes of the 12 who have laid is as follows. Five pairs have clutches of 3, six pairs have clutches of 2 and one pair just the 1 egg. I learnt after many years of watching my birds that clutches of 3 tend to be the ones that give me the most concern. Adult swifts will almost always raise clutches of 1 and 2 chicks without any trouble at all and regardless of the weather. Whereas clutches of 3 depend more on a couple of things to be successful. Firstly they need very hard-working and attentive parents, and secondly then need a warm, dryish summer. If they get both then most will survive, however if any component is missing the odds of raising all three chicks is cut by almost half. That’s why when I saw that I had a pair with only one egg it was a source of comfort for me rather than despair. It allows me the opportunity if it should arise, to foster a chick from one of the larger clutches into that nest if I see it struggling. Once the eggs hatch I do all I can to help the chicks survive. Alas it’s almost impossible to help every single one, but over the years I must have fostered at least a couple of dozen or more by intervening. I know what I do divides opinion with some saying I should let nature take it course. But I don’t subscribe to that way of thinking and will carry on helping these wonderful birds whenever I can.
Friday 6th June
Yesterday was rather wet so there was hardly any swift activity outside. With nothing to watch I spent the morning thoroughly checking all my cameras. Everything was in order except there’s a third chick in nb5 north and not two as I first thought. This happens quite a lot. I see two eggs in the nest and then the adults start to incubate. However quite often they’ll lay a third unnoticed by me and it’s not until they hatch that I find out exactly how many there were.
I had an email from a friend of mine Steve asking how does Trektellen arrive at such precise numbers. Yesterday they recorded 1903 swifts at IJmeerdijk in Holland. He asked a very good question which I think needed an answer on my blog.
Counting huge flocks of birds in flight is almost impossible, especially when they fly as fast as swifts do. However there are a few techniques that birders use to give them a reasonable count. One technique is to photograph as much of the flock as you can. Then divide the photo into equal squares. Count one square and times it by the number of all the rest. I’ve attached this link from Bird Aware which explains it much more detail. Click here to find out more.
If however you have varying densities of birds in the photo then still divide it into equal squares. This time divide the squares further into high and low density numbers. Then count one square with high density numbers and times it by all the other high density squares. Then follow the same process with the low density squares. However remember it is only a snapshot of a single moment in time and therefore shouldn’t be taken as gospel, but it will give you a reasonable estimation of the numbers in that photograph. That’s how Trektellen arrive at such precise numbers.
For migratory birds on the move where numbers are lower another technique is to count the numbers passing overhead in a given period of time. For example if you count 100 swallows passing overhead between 7- 8am the passage would be recorded as 100 birds per hour.
I hope this has helped explain just how bird-watchers count birds on the wing.
Thursday 5th June
The new bird in nb7 west roosted there again last night so it looks like that’s the box it has chosen. Now all it’s got to do is find a mate. The only other single bird is in nb3 west. I managed to get a good look into the two boxes I was keeping an eye on. In nb5 north both eggs have hatched. Looking at the size difference of both chicks I think one must have hatched on the 3rd and the other yesterday. In the other box of interest nb6 west, the 1st egg hatched. Apart from that it was a quiet day regarding any other swift activity.
Further afield in Holland there are a few thousand gathering according to Trektellen. I suspect they’re just waiting for the wind to ease before crossing over to the UK.
With the lack of swift activity I thought I give you an update on the Great Tits. Their first brood fledged a couple of weeks ago and despite losing one almost immediately all the other are still in the garden and doing well. Their parents have just started a second brood. Back in my blog on 13th April I wrote that they had built two nests. One nest in the box on a conifer tree and the other in the box on the kitchen wall. After building both nests they went on to use the kitchen wall box. Now they have moved to the conifer tree box for their second brood. Thinking about it I suppose building two nests at the same time makes a lot of sense. When they built them they didn’t have any chicks to feed so all their energy went into nest building. Now the female can get on incubating the second clutch whilst the male looks after the first brood on his own.
Wednesday 4th June
The new bird that roosted in nb11 west didn’t return last night however one did in nb7 west. I suspect it’s probably the same bird just swapping boxes as they do sometimes. This morning despite the cloudy, grey conditions it’s not windy and I counted at least 5 or 6 bangers investigating my boxes. I’m also keeping a very close eye on nb6 west and nb5 north as both are due to hatch any-day now.
I thought you might like to see this short video of house martins prospecting at Sea Mills Station, click here. My mate George filmed it yesterday. We have 4 artificial boxes on the platform side and one was occupied last summer. This year we’ve have birds looking in all 4 boxes so we’re hoping a few more might be used this year. On the west side of the station we have 8 boxes and 3 are occupied. Sadly eggs were thrown out of one of them only a few days ago. However yesterday I picked up a discarded egg shell under another so at least we have chicks in one of them. On the north side we have 4 boxes but these are the least popular of all the locations. Perhaps in time they will get used but there’s no sign of any interest in them at the moment. We’re extremely pleased at the progress we made in such a short time. The colony was hanging by a thread, their numbers had fallen from over 20 pairs in 2018 to just a couple of pairs last year. To help we put up 16 artificial boxes in March 2024 in the hope some might get used. Three boxes were used in 2024 and all raised chicks. This year we definitely have 3 breeding pairs and possibly more judging by the number of prospectors flying around. It just goes to show what can be done if you put your mind to it.
Tuesday 3rd June
Yesterday the 3rd egg in nb4 south hatched. To date I have two pairs with 5 chicks between them – nb2 north (2) and nn4 south (3). Nine pairs are on eggs and another four pairs have yet to lay.
The single bird in nb6 north who only arrived on Sunday has attracted a mate to form a brand new pair. A new bird has roosted overnight in nb11 west. Since the second wave arrived last Thursday 4 new birds have taken up residency. Irritatingly though just as they are getting used to their new boxes the weather has changed. We’re going to get a spell of unsettled weather which isn’t helpful. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of these new birds go missing during this period.
I managed to get a look into the nest in nb6 west and saw a 3rd egg had been laid. My guess probably laid around 16th May. The egg total now stands at 27. With the arrival of these new birds the colony numbers have risen to 34 birds. 15 pairs and 2 singles in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north. That’s the same number of pairs as last year.
Monday 2nd June
Yesterday two more eggs hatched. As they were both in nb4 south I think one of them probably hatched on Saturday. The weather over the weekend wasn’t that brilliant for prolonged swift activity. The mornings were reasonable but by 11ish the wind was picking up which put an end to any concentrated activity. Today though looks pretty good. The morning has started well, bright sunshine and blue skies with no wind at all. I am hopeful today will be better. Unfortunately after today the weather goes down hill again with bouts of unseasonably windy weather which will definitely put the kibosh on everything.
Some good news on the newcomer front. The single swift in nb1 west who has been here since 13th May has managed to attract one to join it. In nb6 north the single bird who first started to roost overnight on the 31st May has been coming back each night. With these new arrivals the colony numbers have risen to 32. In my camera boxes I have 14 pairs and 2 singles, plus another pair in nb7 north. I’m hoping that the 2 single birds will attract partners to join them in the coming days. With regards to late breeders generally I’ve found if birds pair up before the middle of this month there’s a good chance they’ll breed. After that the chances start to diminish and by early July that’s it for the season.
Sunday 1st June
Overall May was a really dry, warm and sunny month. Perfect conditions for the colony to get back together. At the moment I have around 30 swifts back – 13 pairs and 2 singles in my camera boxes and another pair in nb7 north. I’m a few birds down on last years numbers but I’m confident that a few of the second wave who have just arrived will take up residency and boost my numbers up again.
Yesterday started off really well and I had high hopes for the rest of the day, but alas the wind picked up a tad and the sun never really came out so activity was a bit muted after a good start. I did however manage to take this short video of some of the newcomers banging my boxes in the morning. In this particular clip they are targeting nb3 south. However they take it in turns to target all the boxes just to annoy all the residents equally! The good news one newcomer entered and stayed inside for several minutes nb6 north. Hopefully it will come back again today and perhaps try and entice a mate to follow it.
Saturday 31st May
Yesterday was a pretty good day with regard to swift activity. The newcomers of which there must be at least 8 possibly more put on a really good show all day long. Their favourite pastime is landing on all the occupied boxes and peeping inside before flying off again. This annoys the sitting birds no end who scream back angrily at this intrusion. I’ve not seen any actually enter any of my unoccupied boxes yet, but I think it’s only a matter of time. I think they’re just sussing out which boxes are occupied or not which takes them a day or two. Another one of their favourite games is chasing in the returning resident birds at high speed. This heightened activity lasts for about 5 minutes at a time with a 15 minute gap in-between before starting up again. They carried on like this all day including during the afternoon which normally tends to be quiet. It’s great fun to watch and I wanted to film it but the battery was flat in my camera, so I’ll have a go today if I can. This morning they arrived around 5.45am so hopefully they’ll be really active again today. It’s cloudy start this morning but there’s no wind at all which is absolutely perfect conditions for them to perform.
Friday 30th May
I normally give you an update on what happened yesterday but this morning has started off warm and sunny, and more importantly not windy. The newcomers have been here since 5.30am. I’ve heard them banging the boxes on the west side of the house. I’m sure the swifts who are still across the channel in France and Holland will now make the short journey across. I have a feeling this could be a very good day, indeed a very good weekend.
I was right about the missing partner in nb5 south. Whilst it was windy he stayed away at night but last night the wind eased and he was back inside. Quick update on the colony status. 13 pairs and 2 singles in my camera boxes and another pair in nb7 north. 11 pairs with eggs (24) and 1 pair with chicks (2).
An update on the House Martin colony at Sea Mills Station. We had 3 pairs on eggs with possibly another 2 pairs in the process of nest building. Yesterday there was an increase in martin activity with the arrival of more birds. Sadly a rival male threw out the eggs in one of the nests. Apparently this is normal martin behaviour as rival males do try and take over established nests. Upsetting as this is the pair should now settle down again and lay a second clutch. On the positive side the arrival of these newcomers shows the colony is still growing which is a good sign in the long run. Last year we only had 2 pairs who raised 3 broods.
Thursday 29th May
Update 8.45am. Quite a few bangers have just arrived. I counted at least 8 flying up to and hitting my boxes. I think these are new birds that have just arrived.
The wind finally eased yesterday afternoon and the sun came out. The warmer and more settled conditions definitely encouraged a bit more swift activity than we’ve seen over the last few days. I had several small screaming parties whizz by. Not huge numbers just a handful, but never-the-less a welcome sight and sound to behold. Plus the forecast looks very promising for the next few days, especially here in the south. I fully expect to see some of those swifts seen in Holland to arrive. The second egg in nb2 north hatched and a third was laid in nb4 north taking the egg total to 26. On the downside the new partner in nb5 south still hasn’t returned, but I’m hopeful that as the weather improves it might make a reappearance. Let’s hope so.
Wednesday 28th May
Yesterdays weather was grim to put it mildly. It was raining for most of the day accompanied by a strong, gusty wind. It felt more like March than late May. My swifts had a really hard time trying to get back into their boxes. I watched them circling the house waiting for the wind to ease a bit before attempting to land. Sometimes they were lucky and got in first time, but more often than not though they missed and had to have several goes before succeeding. The only consultation if there is one is most of my birds are still on eggs so the need to bring back food wasn’t a priority.
I have no idea what’s happened to all those swifts in France and Holland. According to Trektellen there’s still 7440 in Falaise de Leucate in France and 4700 in IJmeerdijk in Holland. Did the rest manage to get across the North Sea? If they did they didn’t come here. My guess is they’ve dispersed out a bit in those countries waiting for the conditions to improve before attempting to cross. I still think we’ll see a sizeable influx over the weekend.
Tuesday 27th May
No sign of any of the second wave yet, as it was far too windy yesterday. My guess is they’re still just across the channel in Holland waiting for the wind to ease. Friday looks good though so I expect we’ll see a few arrive then and over the weekend.
My first egg hatched yesterday in nb2 north. This was my first pair to get back together again. They reformed their partnership on 28th April. Their first egg was laid 8 days later on 6th May and hatched yesterday after only 20 days. This is a couple of days earlier than I expected. I normally reckon the first egg hatches 20 days after the last egg in the clutch is laid. Clutch size is generally 2 or 3 eggs and as eggs are laid every other day I normally expect to see the first one hatch around the 22-23 day mark. The adults don’t start to incubate until the last egg is laid so until the clutch is completed the eggs are left uncovered during the day. The reason why this one hatched early is because of the very warm weather we had until recently. It will definitely make a difference to my pairs that laid early as I expect to see more eggs hatch around the 20 day mark. However my later pairs who have only just begun to lay now I expect they will return to the usual 22-23 day mark as the weather has returned to the seasonal norm.
Monday 26th May
Yesterday was another complete write-off concerning swift activity as it was far too windy. The only thing of note was a second egg in nb2 west which took the egg total to 25. One other thing not so good was the new partner in nb5 south failed to return last night. I’m just hoping it was just too blustery for it to get back in and once things settle back down it will return. However really good news down in France. The second wave has just begun to arrive in some numbers and are on the move. In Falaise de Leucate yesterday 19641 were sighted. Whilst further up in Holland in IJmeedjk 8432 were recorded. It looks like this second wave is coming up the eastern migration route which is through France and into Holland and Belgium before crossing the North Sea. Not helping them though is the strong westerly headwind which is forecast until Friday. Migrating birds generally do not like headwinds and prefer to fly with a tailwind. They will adjust their flight altitude to find the best wind conditions and even avoid migrating on days with strong headwinds, so we might not see them here until later in the week.
Sunday 25th May
Another 3 eggs were laid yesterday. The pair in nb1 south finally laid their first egg after 15 days together, plus 2nd eggs in both nb4 north and nb12 west. This takes the egg total to 24.
A very blustery day did nothing for any activity which was virtually non-existent. On days like this I have to remind myself that I have 30 birds in the colony because you wouldn’t think there were any here at all.
Yesterday the number of swifts in Falaise de Leucate in south-east France was 8586, however more importantly though 3189 were seen in IJmeerdijk near Amsterdam. This time of year they often gather in large numbers in Holland before making the short flight across the North Sea to the UK. I’m not sure if they actually cross there or make their way down the coast to Calais, but they’re definitely on their way. Down in Dorset a trickle of swifts and swallows were still arriving at Portland. I’ve often wondered if there there might actually be two migration routes swifts use to reach the UK. One route via the west coast of France and over the English channel whilst the other route comes up through eastern France, then into Holland and Belgium before crossing the North Sea. That might explain why I get my birds back earlier than some colonies on the eastern side of the UK.
Saturday 24th May
Yesterday the first egg in nb2 west was laid after only 8 days. This is a new pair this year, normally new pairs take a bit before laying so I was surprised to see an egg so early. By comparison in nb1 south I have an established pair of breeders who have been back together for 14 days and still no eggs. I only have 2 out of 13 pairs in my camera boxes without eggs, nb1 south and nb5 south. Swifts lay on average 2 or 3 eggs per clutch. I’ve never had all my pairs lay 3 eggs, it tends to be split 50/50 between 2 and 3 eggs per clutch so if all 13 lay which I fully expect they will, I should end up with just over 30 eggs.
Down in Falaise de Leucate in south-east France the number of swifts is still around 8000. It’s impossible to say whether these are the same birds seen a few days ago or new birds just arrived. However the sightings over the last 3 days indicate they may be new birds. On 21st May 8939 were recorded. The following day 22nd May only 979 were seen. Yesterday the numbers were back up to 8076. My guess is they only stay for about a day before moving on. These numbers aren’t to be taken too literally, but only as an indication of what’s happening down there. I suspect the true figure is far higher than the ones recorded.
Friday 23rd May
Yesterday another 5 eggs were laid taking the total up to 20. The new eggs were in the following boxes. 1st eggs in nb4 north & nb12 west. 2nd eggs in nb2 south & nb3 north and a third egg in nb3 south. 10 out of the 13 pairs in my camera boxes now have eggs. The first is due to hatch around 26th May.
Yesterday was very quiet regarding any noisy swift activity. All 7 newcomers have either found partners or found a box for themselves. I’ve got new pairs in nb2 & 12 west. Singles in nb1 & 3 west and lastly one has joined the resident bird in nb5 south to form another pair. The only other activity now is the resident birds either bringing back nesting material or swapping over incubating duties. It will remain like this until the second wave arrives which hopefully will be anytime now and then it will all kick off again.
I watched my Great tits fledge a couple of days ago. It was just before 9am when I saw the first chick poking its head out of the hole. After pausing for a moment it was gone, quickly followed by a second. These first two chicks made it to the relative safety of the many trees I have in my garden. Alas the third was not so lucky. It flew out the box but panicked and did a u-turn. It ended up out in the open on my neighbours roof. Before I even had chance to move a sparrowhawk zoomed in and carried it off. It was all over in a flash. Nature is indeed red in tooth and claw and although upsetting to watch it is how the cycle of life works. The good news is the other chicks are still about today and being fed by their parents.
Thursday 22nd May
The weather in the UK has been remarkably warm and sunny for weeks now. There are more insects about this Spring than I can remember seeing for years. This all bodes well for our swifts. However I’m starting to get a few reports from fellow swift enthusiasts of low numbers at their colonies. Whilst my colony (29) is roughly about the same size as last year others have not been so lucky. Some are saying that at least half their birds haven’t returned so far.
I wish I knew the answer as to why some colonies are fine and others are struggling. I know Spain has been blighted with unseasonal wind and rain this Spring whilst we’ve been enjoying the fine and settled weather here. Maybe some of our missing birds are still stuck down there waiting for conditions to improve. I’ve been told if there’s a strong north-easterly wind over the Pyrenees it effectively blocks our swifts from flying over them into France and keeps them penned down in Spain. Maybe that’s the reason why. Let’s hope it’s as simple as that and when the conditions improve the missing birds will return.
Some good news. I’ve checked Trektellen this morning and a sizeable passage of swifts have just made it over the Pyrenees. Almost 9000 were sighted at Falaise de Leucate in south-east France yesterday.
Wednesday 21st May
Three more eggs were laid yesterday. The first one in nb3 north and a second in nb3 south. However I’m a little baffled by what’s going on in nb2 south. I found a 3rd egg smashed on the floor underneath that box but at the same time saw she’s laid another egg in the nest. I think this new egg is the first of second clutch, whereas the smashed egg was from the first clutch. If you remember in Saturdays blog I found 2 smashed eggs on the ground after a fight in that box the day before. I think there were 3 eggs in that box before the old male returned. He threw 2 eggs out on Saturday but the third was dislodged and remained in the box. I think he found it yesterday and threw it out and in doing so completed the ejection of the first clutch. However what is still puzzling me is I don’t normally expect to see the second clutch until 8 to 10 days later and this egg has appeared after only 4.
Yesterday I watched with amusement the efforts of a single swift trying to attract a new mate to follow it back in. There’s been a single bird in nb5 south since 14th May. This box was empty last year right up towards the the end of the season when on 20th July a single bird started to roost in it overnight. Anyway I presume it’s the same bird who has come back and is looking for a partner. For most of the afternoon I saw it fly out of the box, meet up with a single swift and try to lead it back in. The process went as follows. They would do several flybys of the house, each time getting nearer and nearer the box. On the final lap the lead bird would disappear into the box at high speed followed by the newcomer. However the newcomer had no idea where the entrance was and keep bouncing of the box. This went on for hours and hours. So much so I’d given up watching and gone back inside. Therefore to my surprise when I checked my cameras at 9pm I saw they were tucked up together inside. With it’s arrival the number of pairs has risen to 14 (13 in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north)
Tuesday 20th May
Yesterday saw a second egg in nb5 west. Therefore as eggs are laid every other day the first egg must have been laid on Saturday and not Sunday as reported in yesterdays post. Apart from that it was a rather flat day with very little swift activity. This was probably down to the cloudy cool conditions that persisted for most of the day.
I’m pleased to report a good news story not far from me. Three years ago my mate George who lives a couple of streets away put up a 4-port corner box. He’s been playing the calls ever since then, but apart from the odd flyby he had never managed to attract any swifts to his boxes. This year he had a few flyby’s again but nothing to write home about, until this weekend. He had to go to London so was away from Friday until Sunday. To his surprise and absolute delight when he returned a pair had taken up residency in the top compartment. They moved in without any calls being played. So it just goes to show swifts will find your boxes whether you’re playing the calls or not. Last night I was lucky enough to watch the new pair return. However they decided to roost in the compartment below as is their want. The good news is though they will eventually choose which compartment they want to stay in and should have a go at breeding this summer.
Monday 19th May
Yesterday two more eggs were laid. The first in nb5 west and nb3 south. The egg total currently stands at 11, however counting the eggs on a daily basis is difficult as occasionally the sitting bird refuses to move. I’ve found mid afternoon is normally the best time to have a look as most birds tend to be out then. At the moment in my camera boxes 6 out of the 12 pairs have now started laying. The number of swifts roosting overnight seems to have settled at 29. At the moment I have 13 pairs back compared to 16 last year but it’s still early days. There’s still plenty of time for my single birds to find partners. Plus towards the end of May and into early June the second wave arrives and that should also add some new birds to the colony. All in all a very promising start to the season.
Sunday 18th May
Last night I stayed outside as it was reasonably warm to watch the swifts returning to their boxes. I know I could check my cameras to see which birds are in but there’s nothing quite like seeing a swift in flight. It was just after 9pm and most of the resident birds were back when something caught my eye. Hanging half out of the entrance hole to nb3 west was a swift. It was a newcomer who had followed the resident bird back in. However the resident bird was having none of it and grabbed the unfortunate newbie in a vice-like grip. Normally when this happens the unwelcome visitor is released after a few minutes of screaming and struggling. But not in this instance, the resident bird wouldn’t let go despite all the efforts of the newcomer to try to break free. All this commotion caught the attention of one of the local magpies who came in for a closing look. Magpies have been known to attack swifts so I made myself visible and it flew away. Eventually just as it got dark the newcomer was released and flew off into the darkness. I turned to go inside only to hear a thwack on same box. The newcomer was back again and it obviously hadn’t learnt the lesson. It spent the next 10 minutes banging all the boxes on the west side. The resident birds in nb2, 3, 5 & 6 called out in angry protest at this unwelcome behaviour, whereas the two empty boxes nb1 and 4 remained silent. I thought it might enter one of them, but eventually it just flew off into the darkness. Now have you ever wondered what time a banger returns in the morning. I can tell you exactly, this morning it was 4.41am! I was woken from my sleep by the dull thud of a box being hit on the west side. Again the resident birds called out in protest and this time I think I know what they were saying “go away we’re trying to sleep!” This went on until just after 5am when it stopped. I’ve no idea whether the culprit entered one of the unoccupied boxes or just flew off again as I was too tired to get up and look.
Down in south-east France swift numbers continue to rise with over 3000 seen yesterday, whilst closer to home a steady trickle of swifts, swallows and house martins continue to arrive at Portland.
Saturday 17th May
Yesterday I found two smashed eggs on the ground under nb2 south. This was the box where I witnessed a fight going on for over an hour the day before. I had assumed it was a newcomer who entered the box by mistake, but now having seen the smashed eggs I’ve come to a different conclusion. I now think it was last year’s mate who returned and found it’s partner had paired up with a new male. The fight was to oust the interloper and regain the box and the female. He didn’t tolerate the eggs fertilised by a rival so they had to be ejected as well. It all seems rather brutal to us, but it’s perfectly normal behaviour. She will lay a second clutch in about 10 days time and life will go on as if nothing has ever happened.
I noticed on Trektellen just under a couple of thousand swifts arrived in Falaise de Leucate in south-east France yesterday. Looks like another small wave of swifts are on their way to the UK. They should be here in a few days time.
No new arrivals here so the colony remains at 29 (12 pairs & 3 singles in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north). However I saw that there were two eggs in nb5 north (laid on14th &16th)
Friday 16th May
Another newcomer joined the colony yesterday. It paired up with the single bird in nb2 west. There seemed to be a few more bangers about than the day before. I think I counted around half a dozen investigating my boxes during the day. The one in the photo below entered an occupied box (nb1 south) and was caught by the resident bird in the entrance. It was released a few minutes later, unlike another newcomer who entered the adjacent box (nb2 south) and was locked in a fight for over an hour before escaping.
I also saw one of them enter my other non-camera box nb6 south for the first time. This box faces the back garden and as I was watching yesterday afternoon a lone swift flew straight in. This box has never been occupied, so I was delighted to see it being used for the first time. Whether it was a serious investigation or just a casual visit time will tell. With the arrival of the newcomer the number of swifts in the colony has risen to 29 (12 pairs & 3 singles in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north)
A couple of days ago I was asked what the bangers are. I had forgotten that not everyone who reads my blog is familiar with the swift jargon I use. They are swifts who are looking for nest sites by flying up to and hitting the entrance holes with their wings. They use this method to determine whether a nest is occupied or not. The reason is they are cautious about actually entering boxes for fear of getting into a fight with the resident owner, so this behaviour is a way of avoiding unnecessary conflict. It doesn’t always work as the photo above shows but it does eliminate most of it. Enthusiasts in the swift community call this behaviour banging and refer to the swifts who do it as bangers. Here is a video taken a few years ago.
The Broad-bodied chaser was back again by the pond and this time she was egg laying. Here is a very short video – click on this link.
Thursday 15th May
Two more eggs were laid yesterday. The second in nb6 west and the third in nb4 south. Another two swifts returned – one in nb9 west and the other in nb5 south. The newcomer in nb11 west did move into nb12 west to form a new pair as I suspected. As for the 4 singles, they could stay in their respective boxes or more than likely move boxes to form new pairs. I shall see what happens over the next few days. The number of swifts back has risen to 28 (11 pairs & 4 singles in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north)
The warm sunshine saw the first Broad-bodied chaser emerge from the pond. It’s a fearsome predator and highly territorial over it’s patch driving away all other rivals. The discarded nymph body was seen on a leaf. Along with it’s arrival was the first Common Blue damselflies of the year. These tend to emerge a couple of weeks after the Large Red damselflies. Dragonflies and Damselflies tend to get very active once the temperature reaches 17C, so the last few afternoons have been a hive of activity across the pond.
Wednesday 14th May
Last night just after 7pm three bangers returned. I watched them target all my boxes again, but this time just before it got dark they went in. However I was expecting two of them to go into the same box but they all chose different ones. One ended up in nb1 west, another in nb11 west and the third in nb12 west. I’m pretty sure the birds in nb11 & 12 west are a pair but were confused over which box to use. If I’m right in the next couple of days they will sort it out and end up in the same box together. With their arrival the number of swifts back so far is 26 – 10 pairs and 4 singles in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north.
Tuesday 13th May
Yesterday saw another swift return, the mate of nb4 north. The first egg in nb6 west and possibly a third in nb2 north. The pair in that box have just started sitting so I will have to wait until they both go out to get a proper look. The number of swifts back so far is 23 (10 pairs and 1 single in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north). Last year I had 16 pairs, although only 11 bred due to the poor weather. So based on these figure I’m still missing 5 pairs. However that might just be about to change.
Last night two bangers turned up. They spent a good hour targeting all my boxes but in particular nb1 south and nb6 west. It looked like they were a pair, so it’s just a matter of time before they choose an empty box for themselves. I don’t think I’ve ever seen bangers this early in the season, must be something to do with the weather again. I wasn’t playing any attraction calls either as I don’t need to anymore. For all of you who haven’t got the luxury of established birds in residence now is the time to start playing them.
Monday 12th May
There was quite a bit of swift activity yesterday with the arrival of another 4 birds. It was my busiest day so far. The newcomers included the mate of nb3 north. A pair in nb3 south and a single in nb4 north. However the single swift in nb3 west went missing whilst in the adjacent box one returned. My guess it’s probably the same bird just moving home. That takes the total back to 22 (9 pairs and 2 singles in my camera boxes and a pair in nb7 north). Last year I had 16 pairs so still a little way to go before the colony is fully back together. There was also the first egg laid in nb4 south. That takes the egg total up to 3. The pair in nb2 north aren’t sitting yet on their 2 eggs and I expect they’re going to lay a third one. If they are today is the day.
Sunday 11th May
Another swift returned yesterday. The mate of nb2 south. However I’ve lost the pair in nb5 south. They’ve disappeared over the last couple of days. I’m not sure if they’ve gone completely or just split up and moved in with other partners. Only time will tell. The number back remains the same at eighteen -16 in my camera boxes and 2 in nb7 west (8 pairs and 2 singletons).
The numbers of swifts in Breskens on the coast in Holland swelled to 8509. I think they’re gathering there to take advantage of the easterly wind to help cross the North Sea. Whereas swifts arriving further down the coast at Portland Bill slowed down to only a trickle.
Saturday 10th May
Some of the swifts seen down in France a few days ago have started to arrive. Yesterday 3 more returned home. A single in nb3 west and the pair in nb5 west. I don’t normally get pairs arrive together so this was a welcome surprise. However trying to make sense of the dynamics of the colony is almost impossible at this time of year. Whilst 3 more arrived, 2 went missing and another moved boxes. It will eventually settle down but at the moment the colony is in a state of flux. Total back so far eighteen – 16 in my camera boxes and 2 in nb7 west (8 pairs and 2 singletons).
Yesterday Portland Bill reported a good passage of swifts arriving. A sample count taken in an hour recored 72 heading north. Whilst over in Holland in Breskens almost 6000 gathered. This is a favoured stop-over location just before the make the short flight across the North Sea. Now the wind has turned to a more easterly direction they’ll be with us in no time at all.
Friday 9th May
Yesterday another swift returned. The mate of nb5 south. That takes the total back to fifteen – 13 in my camera boxes and 2 in nb7 north (7 pairs and 1 singleton).
I always reckon it takes about 10 days for the first egg to appear after a pair has reformed. The pair in nb2 north got back together on 28th April so I was expecting to see the first egg yesterday. Well I was right up to a point. An egg was laid but it wasn’t the first. It was the second! As eggs are laid two days apart the first egg must have been laid on Tuesday after only 8 days. A good indication that food is plentiful and the weather conditions favourable for early egg production. I’ll have to adjust forward all my expected eggs laying dates by a couple of days from now on.
Strong passages of swifts were recorded in France yesterday. Moving up the west coast 13163 were seen crossing the Gironde River near Bordeaux. Over on the east side and following the path of the River Rhone another 8846 were seen heading north. Both locations are roughly about 500 miles from the UK which is about 2 -3 days away in swift time. I’m expecting the first to arrive from Saturday onwards.
Thursday 8th May
Two more swifts arrived yesterday. The mate of nb1 south and a singleton in nb3 north. However the numbers of swifts back remains the same as I lost two. The single in nb2 west and the single in nb2 south have gone missing. There’s a good chance that the mate of nb1 south is the swift from the adjacent box who’s just moved homes. I don’t know where nb2 west has gone, perhaps it moved into nb7 north my non-camera box. Anyway as far as I can tell still have fourteen. 12 in my camera boxes and 2 in nb7 north (6 pairs & 2 singletons).
The long awaited arrival of the first wave has just arrived in their traditional stop-over locations in France. Yesterday Trektellen recorded 16146 at Falaise de Leucate wetlands and just down the coast 11940 at the Caint-Saint-Nazaire Lagoon. In a couple of days these will be at Portland Bill Bird Observatory which reported a steady passage of swifts into the UK.
Wednesday 7th May
Yesterday another swift returned. A single in nb2 south. The day started with a light frost on top of the cars. A chilly northerly wind pegged the morning temperature down although it did warm up slightly in the afternoon. These conditions don’t make for good swift activity which was virtually non-existent apart from the returning bird. Total back fourteen. 12 in my camera boxes and 2 in nb7 north.
However further afield in France things are definitely on the move. In the last couple of days Trektellen recorded strong passages of swifts on both the east and west sides of the country. A couple of thousand were seen crossing the Gironde river on the west side, whilst several thousand were following the Rhone river up through the eastern side near Pierre-Aiguille. The wind is meant to move round to a more easterly direction on Thursday which will definitely help. Should be a very good weekend.
Tuesday 6th May
Yesterday by sheer luck I was looking out of the kitchen window when a new pair arrived. It was around 5pm when I spotted a couple of swifts circling the house. They were targeting the corner box at the front. At first I assumed it was the pair in nb5 north returning however both disappeared into the box above nb7 north. This box has no camera inside as space is very limited. However I do know from last year that it was occupied and at least one chick was raised by the state the floor was left in. Last year I hardly saw the pair coming and going so to catch a glimpse of both entering yesterday was a real bonus. Hopefully they’ll go on to have another successful season this year. Total back thirteen. 11 in my camera boxes and 2 in nb7 north.
Monday 5th May
Yesterday was rather chilly compared to recent days. The chill wind took the edge of any swift action which was limited all day long. No newcomers arrived home either so a little disappointing overall. However I am encouraged by reports further south which bodes well over the coming days. On Saturday Gibraltar bird Observatory reported large flocks of swifts crossing over the Strait from Africa. Then yesterday Trektellen recorded just under 2000 near Devesa de l’Albufera on the east coast of Spain and closer to home Portland Bill saw swifts and hirundines arriving in some numbers. It looks like there’s another passage of swifts on it’s way to the UK.
The lack of swift action gave me the opportunity to watch the other birds in the garden. Both pairs of Blue and Great tits are busy feeding their young. The Blue tits seem to be concentrating on the aphids which are abundant in the garden whilst the Great tits are bringing back mostly small caterpillars. The Dunnocks are picking up small flies and insects off the lawn to feed their young deep inside a thick conifer hedge which runs down the east of the garden.
Sunday 4th May
Another swift arrived home yesterday. The mate of nb6 west. This is a remarkable pair. Last year they laid 3 eggs which failed to hatch. They continued to brood them even though they were infertile. The weather was truly awful and I had a couple of very young chicks that were abandoned roughly at the same time. So whilst she was still sitting I placed one of these abandoned chicks in the nest. A few days later I placed the other abandoned chick and removed all 3 eggs. They were excellent foster parents and brought up both foster chicks as if they were their own.
The single bird in nb6 north has moved to the box above nb5 north to form a pair. It did the same last year only to be ousted a few weeks later by nb6’s old mate when it returned. I fear the same outcome will happen again. Total number of birds back eleven – 4 pairs and 3 singles.
Saturday 3rd May
There was quite a bit of swift action yesterday with swifts coming and going to their boxes for most of the day. I thought they might be some new birds just arrived but on closer examination they were just nest building. I used to think they didn’t start nest building until the pair had reformed, however these were single birds that had been here a few days. They were bringing in small feathers and other nesting material caught on the wing. Maybe they were just sprucing up the nest before their partners return so it looks good. However when I checked the cameras later I found 1 bird had indeed returned in nb5 north. Total back 10.
Friday May 2nd
Another swift returned home yesterday, the mate of nb4 south. That’s my second pair to get back together. I expect to see their first egg around the 12th May. That takes the total back to 9, two pairs and 5 singles.
There’s still a trickle of swifts, swallows and martins coming in over Portland Bird Observatory. However the swifts we’ve seen in the UK are only the advanced party of the first wave. The majority of them have yet to arrive in southern Europe. I’m keeping a check on all the birding locations down there and will update my blog as soon as I see their numbers increasing.
Thursday 1st May
April left with a bang yesterday with temperatures reaching 27C in the garden. April’s been really warm and dry with plenty of sunshine following the same pattern as March. The beautiful conditions saw another two swifts home. One in nb4 south and the other in nb6 north. That takes the total up to 8. That’s one pair (nb2 north) and 6 singles. I normally see the first egg after about 10 days once the pair have reunited. The pair got together on 28th April so that makes 8th May egg day.
We went to Chew Valley Lake yesterday to do a spot of bird watching. It’s become a bit of an annual pilgrimage. We meet our good friend John there, spend a couple of hours birding and finish off with a fish and chip lunch in the picnic site. The strange thing was we were expecting to see lots of swifts, swallows and house martins but didn’t see a single one. The conditions were excellent with millions of insects buzzing around. Despite all of that there were hardly any birds over the lake except for a few ducks. After lunch we popped over to Litton to see our other friends Sandy and Tim. There we saw half a dozen swifts and martins which made up for the lack of sightings over Chew. Again there were insects flying about everywhere. Perhaps the abundance of insects has meant the swifts, swallows and martins can stay closer to their nesting sites rather than journeying to the lake to feed. All in all we had a lovely day out meeting our friends and seeing a few birds in the sunshine.
Wednesday 30th April
Another two swifts arrived back yesterday morning. One in nb2 west and the other in nb1 south. I was also treated to my first decent screaming fly-bys which was absolutely wonderful. It brought the skies back to life again. Total back now 6.
Whilst I normally get a handful of swifts arrive now, looking at my records the vast majority of the colony doesn’t arrive until May. The times they return vary each year from around the 5th May right up to the 20th May. However the most common period for them to arrive is sometime between the 10th-18th May. So don’t despair if yours haven’t arrived yet, as there’s still plenty of time for them to return.
Some great news concerning the House martins on Sea Mills Station. At least 4 returned yesterday to the artificial nest cups we put up last year. The colony there had collapsed from over 20 pairs in 2018 to just 2 pairs in 2023. Worried that we might lose them forever we got some funding to put up nest cups. Last year we had 3 broods in these artificial nest and hopefully this year we’ll get even more. Thank you to Di Bunniss for these photos.
Tuesday 29th April
A fourth swift arrived home yesterday. The mate of nb2 north. However I know from experience that sometimes these early pairings aren’t always the ones from last year. Time will tell if it is last years mate or just a fling. Total back 4.
Monday 28th April
I heard my first scream yesterday. Around lunchtime a solitary swift flew up to the house let out a short scream and flew off. I wondered if it was a returning bird just acknowledging it was home and satisfied that it had made it back. Anyway whatever the reason it was lovely to hear it, albeit if only a short burst of summer. Later on around 2pm-ish a group of 4 flew over heading south. I thought it might be another one of mine returning home however when I checked my cameras last night there were only 3 were inside.
Sunday 27th April
Two more swifts arrived yesterday, one in nb5 south and the other in nb6 west. That takes the total back now to 3.
Portland Bill bird Observatory reported a very strong passage of Swallows and House matins plus a decent pulse of swifts yesterday. This was followed by sightings of swifts returning to their traditional nesting sites all over the UK. High pressure is building in and it is forecast to be hot and sunny all week. I reckon the next few days could be absolutely spectacular as our birds pour back in.
Saturday 26th April.
Here are a few photos of my first swift which arrived home last night. It’s always lovely to see the first one back safely. With high pressure building in next week hopefully it will be joined by a few others. I normally expect to see my first one around the 25th-26th so this one was bang on time. However it’s not in one of the boxes where I normally see my first birds back. Checking my records the pair in this box don’t normally arrived until much later on. The most consistent by far is NB3 North. Over the last 7 years this box has seen the first bird back three times. The last time NB2 North was first was way back in 2019. Last year both birds in this box return on 12th May!
2019 – 30th April – NB2 & 3 North & NB3 West.
2020 – 23rd. April – NB1 North.
2021 – 25th April – NB3 South.
2022 – 2nd May – NB3 North
2023 – 28th April – NB1 West
2024 – 23rd April – NB3 North.
2025 – 25th April – NB2 North.
Friday 25th April
8.45pm. My first swift arrived home tonight and flew straight into nest box 2 north.
The numbers of Common swifts seen at Falaise de Leucate rose from 22796 on Wednesday to 33125 yesterday. However these aren’t all new birds just arriving but a mixture of some newcomers and others that have been there a while feeding. So while it’s encouraging to see their numbers are still rising it’s probably only a small increase on the overall total. The reason why so many birds (and not just swifts) are seen there is the geographic location of Falaise de Leucate which acts like a bottleneck. It’s the best place to watch birds on their Spring and Autumn migration routes. For more information about Frances premier migration viewing point click here.
Thursday 24th April
Now these numbers are worth getting excited about! Yesterday saw the first really big influx of Common swifts into France. On the south east coast Trektellen recorded 22796 at Falaise de Leucate and on the west coast another 6969 crossing over the mighty Gironde river. Expect to see them in the UK any day now. Can’t wait!
Tuesday 22nd April
Yesterday a trickle of swifts were seen arriving at Portland Bill Bird Observatory. Closer to home one was seen feeding over Chew Valley lake in Somerset. However these numbers are nothing to get too excited about at the moment but are definitely heading in the right direction. However more significant were the 8040 recorded by Trektellen in Falaise de Leucate in south-east France. This is one of their traditional stop-over locations on their journey to the UK and only about 2 days away as the swift flies. They’re on their way and might be here by the weekend if we’re lucky!
Monday 21st April
Yesterday was pleasantly warm and virtually cloud free until late afternoon. I really thought I might see my first swift return but alas my boxes remained empty for another night. However the warm sunshine did bring out the first large red damselflies of the year. The one in the photo had just emerged from the pond and had found shelter amongst the leaves of my Forsythia bush.
Following on from yesterdays post the first Common swifts of the year were seen at Portland Bill Bird Observatory. No doubt they are some of the ones seen crossing the Pointe de Grave on Saturday. There’s still a trickle making their way up the west coast of France with Trektellen recording another 1506 crossing the mighty Gironde river yesterday. However these numbers are only a small fraction of the true numbers on the move which will be considerably higher. So the good news is the long awaited swift arrival to the UK has begun.
And finally to add some meat to the bones about the number of breeding pairs in our towns and villages. On my summer holidays to east Devon and Dorset apart from enjoying the beautiful beaches and countryside I also count the number of swifts I see. In Sidmouth, Branscombe, Otterton and Beer in Devon and Lyme Regis just across the border in Dorset all have small breeding populations of less than 10 pairs per location. In contrast in my home city of Bristol there must be several hundred breeding pairs. There are also some villages which are definitely swift hot-spots. For example East Harptree, a small village near Chew Valley Lake there are dozens of breeding pairs there and I know of one house alone that has at least 15 pairs nesting under its eaves.
Sunday 20th April
I’m still waiting for my first swift to return, so the all-time record returnee on 20th April 2018 remains unbeaten for another year. However there is a possibility it could be equalled today. According to Trektellen yesterday a strong passage of Common swifts (4661) were seen crossing the Pointe de Grave on the west coast of France. That’s just up from Bordeaux and only about 500 miles from the UK. A determined swift can easily fly 500 in a day if it wants to, so there’s a fair chance some might arrive in the UK either today or tomorrow.
Estimations of the number of breeding pairs in the UK varies greatly from 80,000 to 200,000. To be honest nobody really knows their true number as accurate recording of swift nests is almost impossible to do as swifts are so elusive. Looking at it from a different angle there are 46 cities, 1,186 towns and 6,116 villages and small communities in England and Wales. A combined total of 7338 settlements. Based on the two estimates of breeding pairs – 80,000 would suggest around 10 pairs per settlement and 200,000 would be around 27 per settlement. However those figures are based on the assumption that they were evenly spread across the UK which of course they’re not. But at least it gives you a very rough idea of the numbers you might expect to see in any one settlement if all things were even.
Saturday 19th April
When we open our garden for charity in the summer we sell plants and the proceeds go towards helping swift rehabilitation. We have some pelargoniums and everlasting wallflowers (Bowles Mauve) in large pots that are ready now. The pelargoniums are Attar of Roses, Sweet Mimosa, Shrubland Rose and Pink Capitanum. All are £5 each. (Update all wallflowers were sold)
A few swifts have been sighted in the UK over recent days. Several were seen feeding over Staines reservoir in London, another couple down in Weymouth and one not far from me in Bristol. Unfortunately the weathers not helping their return. A brisk easterly wind in the channel is not ideal conditions for migration at all. Most summer migrants including our swifts will remain further down south in France and Spain until the conditions improve. At the moment there’s no real influx of swifts either in their traditional stop-over locations according to Trektellen. All that’s been seen are a few hundred or so on 17th April.
About 4 or 5 years ago Bev and Les Cattell made a couple of our boxes, one twin and two singles. They got their first swifts a couple of years later.
Now completely bitten by the swift bug and wanting to increase the size of their colony they’ve added a new 10 compartment triangular apex box to their house. Les made it whilst he had scaffolding up to do some minor repairs on the soffits. We think this new box looks absolutely stunning and wish them all the best this summer. I’m sure the swifts will love it too! I thought you might like to see few photos of Les’s handiwork.
Sunday 13th April
I’ve noticed some strange behaviour with my pair of Great tits. They are building two nests at the same time. They first started off using the box in the conifer tree before moving to the box on the kitchen wall. However they haven’t given up on the conifer box and regularly take nesting material back to both. I’m not sure which box they will finally choose to lay their eggs in, but it’s fun watching them go between both boxes. I know sometimes they have a second brood, so perhaps they’re building a second nest in advance?
Some years I don’t get many tadpoles despite large amounts of spawn being laid but this year is a bumper tadpole year. The most abundant are the frog tadpoles intermixed with just a handful of toad tadpoles. I lost most of my female toads last year through the over zealous attention of the male frogs who in their eagerness to mate drown over a dozen of them. There must be thousands of tadpoles in the pond. No doubt the newts and dragonfly larvae will do their best to keep their numbers down but there’s far too many for them to eat them all. Around July time they’ll emerge as little froglets and toadlets so I’ll have to be careful with the mower for a few weeks until they disappear into the borders.
Saturday 12th April
The spring migration is well underway with reports of large numbers of Swallows, Sand and House martins streaming in each day. However not much movement on the swift front. There’s been the odd one seen here and there in the UK, but the main body has yet to arrive in southern Europe. On Trektellen a few dozen have been seen moving up the west coast of France near Bordeaux but apart from that little else has been seen. My guess we’re still a good couple of weeks away despite the beautiful swift like weather we’ve been having over the last few weeks.
Last week was mostly sunny and warm. The mornings were a bit chilly but once the sun got up the afternoons were pleasantly warm if not hot occasionally. The garden is abuzz now with all manner of flying insects. I’ve seen more butterflies in the last week than I did all summer last year. One of the least common was a Green-veined white that had just emerged from its chrysalis onto our wall.
The red mason bees are really active with the males buzzing around the bee hotel waiting for the females to emerge. No subtleties with them as it’s first come first served! The other most numerous insect in the garden is the Hoverfly. There are literally dozens of them. What I love about them is their ability to hover for a second before whizzing off at 100 miles an hour! They are also great insects to have in the garden. Whilst the adults are great pollinators the larvae of several species feed on aphids so definitely a gardeners friend.
Sunday 6th April
I had a very excited lady from Pensford contact me yesterday afternoon. She had just seen two Common swifts flying overhead heading towards Bristol. Her enthusiastic email got me going and I stayed out until it got dark just on the off chance they might have been my birds. Alas nothing turned up but it was a very pleasant way to spend the evening sitting outside watching the skies with a glass of wine. There was however not far from me a sighting of an Alpine swift yesterday afternoon along with a steady passage of Sand martins and Swallows at Severn Beach.
Saturday 5th April
April began where March left off with high pressure firmly in charge. A nagging easterly wind at the beginning of the week pegged the temperature back. That eased from midweek and yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far reaching 22C here in Bristol.
April is the time I expect to see my first swifts back. The earliest one ever to arrive back returned on 20th April, however around 25th April is more usual for them to appear so not long now. Spurred on by the good weather I finished off putting up the last of my boxes so I’m all ready to go. It’s just as well because more and more Common swifts are arriving at the traditional stop-over locations in southern Europe. On Tuesday over 5000 arrived back at Dunes de Prunete in Corsica, see the latest numbers from Trektellen.
Yesterday was an outstanding day for butterflies. During the afternoon I saw a Holly Blue, Brimstone, Comma, Speckled Wood, Orange Tip, Small white and Peacock. I can’t remember another day like it where I saw so many butterflies in one go in the garden. I’ve still not seen my first Swallow yet, but they have been seen locally to me. I did hear my first Willow warbler of the year though which was lovely. And finally the Great tits in the back garden have just started nest building. I watched the female gathering moss from the lawn yesterday afternoon.
Sunday 30th April
Taking advantage of the fine weather last week I put up some of my swift boxes. It was a bit earlier than I normally do as I usually try to get them up in the first week of April. I do this mainly to avoid any other bird species taking a fancy to them but the weather conditions were just perfect. A few days before whilst out walking I came across some seed fluff from wild Clematis vitalba, more commonly known as old-mans beard. I gathered some as I think it has great potential for nesting material. It looks like grey moss and is very warm and soft to touch. As a trial I’ve lined all of my nest cups with it. Hopefully the swifts will like it too!
The number of Common swifts arriving at their traditional stop-over points in Southern Europe is beginning to rise according to the latest figures from Trektellen.
Saturday 29th March
A round up of what happened here since last weekend. The beginning of the week was reasonably warm and dry week for this time of year. The welcome Spring sunshine brought out the first Slow-worms from their winter hibernation. I’m still waiting for mine in the garden to appear but I found these three not far from me at Watercress Farm under a piece of corrugated iron heated up by the sun.
Some more good news on the hedgehog front. We now have definitely 3 back. There’s possibly even more than that but it’s so difficult to identify them individually other than their sexes. therefore all I can rely on is group photos for accurate numbers! In the photo a male and a female are inside the feeding cage as another male approaches outside. Needless to say there was a bit of argy-bargy when all three got together. Thankfully nothing too serious and all three departed on their way a few minutes later.
Saturday 22nd March
The week started out cold with night frosts but by Thursday it had completely changed to a warm and sunny 20C. This spring-like warmth brought out many different species of bees and butterflies. I saw several Brimstone, Peacocks and Commas fluttering across in the garden.
The Blue tits have started nest building in the box in the conifer tree. They’ve been taking in lots of moss gathered from around the pond. To help them I’ve also put up an old hanging bird feeder filled with extra nesting material. It’s great fun watching them pull out bits and pieces and so easy to make. All you need is an old suet ball bird feeder and stuff it full of hay, feathers, moss, sheep wool and even dog hair and then sit back and watch.
A male Blackcap has just returned to the garden and has been singing for the last few days. They don’t sing from the top of a tree like Blackbirds do but rather from deep inside a hedge or a bush. His song is very beautiful and in my opinion rivals that of the Blackbird. We also had a singing Chiffchaff stop for a short while on its way north. It’s song is rather basic when compared to the Blackcap, but still pleasant enough on the ears.
The frog spawn in the pond has just begun to hatch and the clumps are now covered with hundreds of wriggling tadpoles.
Further afield down in southern France and Spain the first few Common swifts are just beginning to arrive at their traditional stop-over points. The main group however won’t arrive for another few weeks, usually around mid to late April. See this link
Thursday 20th March
The Spring equinox happens at 9.01am this morning. During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight and darkness, roughly 12 hours each. From tomorrow as the Earth’s axis tilts more towards the northern hemisphere so we will start to get more sunlight each day whilst the southern hemisphere will get less.
First house martin spotted at Portland Bill yesterday.
Wednesday 19th March
The first Swallows of the year arrived yesterday. One was seen down at Portland Bill on the south coast and a couple on the Severn estuary near Weston-Super-Mare. The wind is going round to a warm southerly, so expect lots of summer migrants to arrive over the next few days.
Sunday 16th March
Following on from yesterdays post I’m delighted to report that we now have two hedgehogs back. The first hedgehog, a male arrived back on Wednesday. He was on its own for a couple of nights before a second hedgehog joined him. On closer video examination this one turned out to be a female. In the photo below the female is on the left and the male on the right. The male was quite aggressive towards the female pushing and shoving her around, but despite his belligerent behaviour she still managed to get some food. Just as well as last night was very frosty. The food I provide is a 50/50 mixture of meaty cat food and specialist hedgehog biscuits, roughly about 100g per night. An adult hog will eat about 75g per day. I don’t want to make them completely dependant on my feeds as I also want them to eat some of the pests in my garden. So my aim is to provide them with some food but not all they need. Last year I had 4 hedgehogs regularly feeding at night, so on average they got about 25g each which is about 1/3rd of their daily requirements. Hedgehogs will eat almost anything including bread, nuts and milk, but these foods are bad for them are to be avoided at all costs.
Saturday 15th March
A round up of what happened in the garden last week.
The frogs that arrived in some numbers last weekend went onto lay over 20 clumps of spawn, however their activity was cut short by the cold weather. By Wednesday the pond was all quiet again. However it’s meant to warm up next week so I’m hoping they’ll be back again. My first toad spawn of the season appeared on Thursday.
Both Blue tits and Great tits are actively going in and out of several of my bird boxes. Both seem to have a favourite box each and spend most of their time around it, but they also like to visit other boxes too and quite often I see them sussing them out as well. I often hear them tapping at the entrance holes on their favourite boxes. I don’t know why they do this as both holes are plenty big enough but it seems to be something they like doing.
And finally some really great news to report. Last September all my hedgehogs suddenly disappeared in the space of a couple of weeks. Despite me continuing to put out food right into November I never saw them again and feared the worst. Therefore last Tuesday when I saw what looked like hedgehog poo in the garden I couldn’t believe my luck. That night not wanting to get too over-excited I put out a small dish of hedgehog food and trail camera, more in hope rather than expectation. The following morning on viewing the footage I was so delighted to see one hog feeding. Here is a short video of its activity. Also in the film and not so welcome was an inquisitive badger. It sniffed at the hog a few times before thankfully begin scared away by its alarm call. I’ve now re-instated the larger feeding cage which offers the hogs more room inside and hopefully will protect them better if the badger becomes overly familiar!
Sunday 9th March
My first frog spawn of the season has just appeared this morning. I don’t know why but it’s extremely late when compared to previous years. In the the last 7 years the first spawn has always arrived around the 20th February, never this late in March! Here is the dates: – 2018 – 20th. Feb. 2019 – 19th Feb. 2020 – 10th Feb. 2021 – 27th Feb. 2022 – 24th Feb. 2023 – 18th Feb. 2024- 17th Feb. Maybe it was something to do with the very dull and cold weather we had in February?
Saturday 8th March
A few years ago Roxanne Ismail and Tessa Chan filmed a short video in our garden called The Swift Conservationist. Unfortunately not long after it disappeared on the Internet. However as luck would have it we met Roxanne this week at our annual National Garden scheme event. This chance meeting brought back fond memories and reminded us what a lovely little film it was. With their kind permission we’ve now added it to our YouTube channel as it’s one of our favourites. Although it was about swifts it also featured my old friend Rob the Robin who lived with us for over 5 years. Sadly Rob’s no longer with us anymore but we’ve never forgotten him. He was such a charming little bird and we loved him very much. Although other Robins have come and gone in the garden since then none have come close to replacing our old friend Rob. To see the video click here
Friday 7th March
Last August after my blog had ended fellow swift enthusiast and poet Philip Dunkerley sent me a poem he had written called Perpetual Swift. I think it’s excellent and really captures the essence of the swift perfectly. Here is a link.
Sunday 2nd March
Whilst I’m still waiting for the first frog spawn to appear in my pond that wasn’t the case just a mile away at the local Sneed Park nature reserve. Last Thursday I had an urgent email asking if I could help move some frog spawn that had been laid in a puddle about 1/4 mile from the lake. When I arrived I was absolutely flabbergasted by the sheer amount. It was everywhere I reckon there must have been well over 300 clumps. The problem was the puddles were quickly drying up and some of the spawn was already high and dry. If I left it to the weekend when help was available it would have been too late. So without further ado I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in. A couple of hours later after filling over 20 three gallon buckets full my work was complete. It was hard graft but the sun was shining which made a difference. At the end although I was exhausted I left with a real sense of achievement. Below are a few photos.
On the birding front last week I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year. A little earlier than normal but a sure sign that Spring is on its way. Also lots of reports from around the UK of Sand martins arriving back.
Saturday 1st March
It’s the first day of Spring and it won’t be long before my swifts arrive in a few weeks time. However before they do there are lots of other things happening in the garden.The first frog spawn has yet to appear in the pond. This is a good week later than normal, so I expect the prolonged cold snap in early February has held it back. I’m lucky to have five species of amphibians in the pond. Frogs and toads and all 3 species of newt – the great-crested, palmate and smooth. However the most abundant by far are the frogs and there must be well over 100 or more. They are so loud you can hear them croaking from quite a long way away.
Spring flowers are appearing everywhere. The early snowdrops and aconites are virtually over now but they’ve been replaced by a carpet of daffodils, crocus and primroses. Welcome food sources for the buff-tailed bumble bees who have been out and about for some time now looking for nectar.
Not much activity on the bird front other the Blue tits and Great tits sussing out which nest boxes to use. The most welcome return however is the singing Blackbird who’s beautiful song can rival any other songster and is my favourite by a long way.
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