Welcome to our 2026 blog page with updates from our swift colony and 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 2025 blog.
Tuesday 9th June
Yesterday was another really quiet day with virtually all of the action going on inside the boxes again. I’m pretty sure the 2nd egg in nb6 west has hatched. The trouble is it’s a very difficult box to monitor. The camera is at the opposite end to the nest and the adults are very good at swapping over without me getting a really good look inside the nest cup. However I definitely saw one little head bobbing about and pretty sure I saw a second as well. In about a week’s time both adults will go out to collect food, so I’ll probably have to wait until then to confirm 100%. The reason I’m so pleased to see chicks in that nest is that for the last couple of years they’ve been laying infertile eggs. Out of the 5 they’ve laid over the past two years only one has hatched. So if both have hatched this year that’s wonderful, however it does remove a potential foster nest from me. In the last two years I’ve been using this to foster chicks in. In 2024 they raised two foster chicks and last year another one. They are brilliant foster parents. The third egg in nb2 south hatched which confirms the conclusion I came to in yesterdays blog. I also glimpsed a 3rd egg in nb4 south ( probably laid on 30th May). Total back 40 (20 pairs & 42 eggs – 2 ejected & 11 chicks).
Monday 8th June
Yesterday saw a second egg in nb3 south and in nb6 north. The two eggs in nb1 west have been left uncovered all day which is not a good sign. Will have to keep a close eye on that box in the coming days. The first egg has hatched in nb6 west, but more interestingly so has the 2nd egg in nb2 south. Now looking like only 2 eggs have been ejected not 3 as originally thought. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 41 eggs – 2 ejected & 9 chicks).
The second egg hatching in nb2 south has cast a major doubt about my post yesterday. The first two eggs now have hatched after 23 and 19 days which is exactly in line with their laying dates on 16th & 19th May. Therefore my initial assumptions in yesterday blog are most likely wrong. You’ve probably heard of Occam’s razor. It’s a well known problem-solving principle stating that when presented with competing explanations for the same phenomenon, you should prefer the simplest one – the one that makes the fewest assumptions. Therefore the logical and simplest explanation now is that in my haste to see what had happened inside nb2 south I inadvertently checked the wrong nest by mistake. Thinking about it that makes a lot of sense now. I probably clicked on the wrong nest by mistake on the 24th and found it empty. I then checked again the following day but this time on the right nest and found three eggs. That would explain everything other than the smashed egg. Maybe that egg came from an adjacent box and I’ve jumped to the wrong assumption in my haste to make sense of it all. Therefore I’m now thinking that there were 3 eggs in nb2 south all along, laid on 16th, 19th & 21st May. There was a fight on the 24th but the eggs inside remained safe. If I’m right the third egg as long as it’s viable should hatch in the next day or two. Let’s see what happens next. Apologies for any confusion, as my old tutor should to say to me avoid making too many assumptions as they have a nasty habit of making an ASS of U and ME.
The second wave of swifts is posed just across the North Sea in the Netherlands. Almost 10,000 were record in IJmeerdijk yesterday. As soon as the weather improves they’ll cross over. Next weekend is looking really promising.
Sunday 7th June
The less said about yesterdays weather the better, it was awful! However it looks like it might be warming up again from Friday onwards, so just need to get through the next few days.
With nothing going on outside I spent most of the day checking my cameras and was lucky enough to see the first egg hatch in nb2 south. I also got a glimpse in nb11 west and saw a second egg which was probably laid either on the 4th or 5th. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 40 eggs – 3 ejected & 7 chicks).
Returning to nb2 south there’s quite a story going on in there. That’s the box that I wrote about on 26th May. To recap everything was going along nicely with 2 eggs laid (16th & 19th May). Then on the 24rd May everything changed. We witnessed a vicious fight going on in the box which ended with both eggs being ejected. One smashed on the ground below the box the other we didn’t know what happened to it. But that was only the start of it. The next day something remarkable happened. When I checked there were 3 eggs back in the nest! Two of the eggs looked normal but one looked much darker. See LH photo below. I’ve never seen anything like this before and was struggling to understand what had just happened. Without any video footage I came to the conclusion that the old female must have returned, evicted the new female along with both her eggs. Then over the next 24 hour period proceeded in laying 2 eggs of her own. One normal looking the other much darker which I presumed was soft-shelled hence the darker hue. This is where it gets even more strange, not only did she lay two eggs of her own in less than 24 hours which is unheard of, but she must have retrieved the missing egg in the box and placed it back in the nest. Another extremely rare bit of behaviour. Yesterday the first egg in that nest hatched. In the middle photo on the top of the right egg you can just about see the surface of the egg is beginning rupture. One hour later a chick had emerged from it see RH photo. This is where it gets even more interesting. The date of the egg hatching 22 days corresponds exactly with the date the first egg was laid on May 16th by the first female. It proves beyond doubt it must have been replaced back in the nest after the fight. If I’m correct then her two eggs aren’t due to hatch for another 7 or 8 days. If that turns out to be the case then I have major problem with the size difference of the chicks. Watch this space!
Saturday 6th June
Yesterday was drier and much less windy but not warm enough for any meaningful swift activity around the house. No sign either of the arrival of the second wave of prospectors. Most of the action once again was going on inside the boxes with 3 more eggs and a couple of new chicks. The 1st egg in nb3 south. A 2nd egg in nb1 west and a 3rd egg in nb4 north, which was probably laid on 30th May. That’s only my third clutch of 3 this season out of 15. The 2nd eggs hatched in both nb2 west & nb2 north. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 39 eggs – 3 ejected & 6 chicks).
Colony status – 16 pairs on eggs. 3 pairs with chicks. 1 pairs yet to lay.
Friday 5th June
Yesterday was another very windy day with a spell of heavy rain in the morning. Although the sun did eventually come out in the afternoon it still remained windy. Not much swift activity other than the odd adult returning every now and then to their respective boxes. Most of the action happened inside the boxes with the 1st egg hatching in nb2 west. The 1st egg in nb6 north and a second egg in nb1 north. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 36 eggs – 3 ejected & 4 chicks). 15 pairs on eggs. 3 pairs with chicks. 2 pairs yet to lay.
Over in Ijmeerdijk in the Netherlands just over 2500 swifts were recorded yesterday. However I’m not sure if these are part of the second wave just about to cross over or some of our resident breeders temporarily escaping the rotten weather here. What we need now is some settled conditions to get the action going again.
Thursday 4th June
What topsy-turvy weather its been since our swifts first returned. First it was chilly, then scorching hot and now wet and windy. Luckily most pairs are still on eggs so the need to find food is not so urgent. However in a couple of weeks time that will all change as their eggs begin to hatch. What we need then is a period of quiet, calm conditions to help the chicks through those crucial first few weeks of life. At the moment I have 15 pairs on eggs an another two with chicks. Three late arriving pairs have yet to lay.
Yesterday saw the 1st egg in nb11 west and the first chick in nb2 north. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 34 eggs – 3 ejected & 3 chicks).
In my blog on Wednesday 15th April I mentioned the start of a local swift project in Bishopston. Here is a swift update. Several dozen swift boxes have now been installed in Egerton Road as a community project headed by Dawn Lawrence. She originally contacted me last August asking for advice on creating a swift street. Firstly she had to find out who actually wanted a swift box. Then she surveyed their houses to find the best locations to fit them. Regrettably some people who were really keen on having a box couldn’t because their houses just weren’t suitable, but they still wanted to help in anyway they could. Probably the biggest hurdle she faced was actually fitting the boxes, but a group of willing volunteers and a local tree surgery firm with a cherry picker came to the rescue.
She has also written articles in the latest editions of Bishopston Voice and Clifton Voice magazines to help raise swift awareness. All in all she’s done an amazing job making it all happen.
Wednesday 3rd June
Tuesday although mostly dry was very breezy with some exceptionally strong gusts. Not ideal swift weather at all. When the weather is like this prospectors tend to stay well away from the house fearing they might injure themselves. I only saw the pairs with eggs returning every now and then to swap over incubating duties. Apart from that it was all very quiet outside. On the egg front, 15 out of my 20 pairs now have eggs. I normally expect half the clutches to contain 3 eggs, sometimes even more than that if the weather has be warm from the moment they first arrive back. This year so far only 2 pairs out of the 15 have clutches of 3, all the rest are 2. Without doubt the cold spell in early May has affected the clutch size which is lower than average. While the overall colony clutch sizes might be down on previous years I’m not unhappy at all. In fact I’m quite the opposite. It’s nearly always the 3 egg broods that give me problems, so the fewer there are of these the less hassle for me. Two more eggs were laid. The first egg in nb1 west and the third egg in nb3 west. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 33 eggs – 3 ejected & 2 chicks).
Tuesday 2nd June
Yesterday saw the first two chicks of the new swift season in nb5 north, although looking at the size of the larger one I reckon it hatched either on Saturday or Sunday. That’s the first time since I began keeping records over 15 years ago that I’ve had a chick hatch in May. Here’s a short video of one of the adults coming in to feed them. Despite the size difference the adults expertly divided the feed evenly between them.
Yesterday saw the first egg in nb1 north. There are eggs also in nb10 west but I haven’t confirmed how many as there’s always a bird sitting on the nest. Experience tells me there is probably 2 eggs laid on 30th May & 1st June. My singleton in nb7 west has been missing for the last few days. Hopefully it will return when the weather warms up again. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 31 eggs- 3 ejected & 2 chicks).
Monday 1st June
A change of month has brought a change in the weather. This week is forecast to be much cooler, breezier and wetter. Whilst the rain is needed for the garden I don’t expect to see much swift activity until it warms up again. However it’s not all bad as most pairs are now incubating their clutches, so with less activity they’ll get some welcome respite from the prospectors. I’m expecting if it hasn’t already happened the first chicks of the season. Nb5 north are due any-day now, I just need to get a good look at the nest when the mate comes in to take over.
Yesterday was pretty quiet again. The only thing of note was a second egg in nb5 south. Total back 41 (20 pairs, 1 single & 28 eggs – 3 ejected).
Sunday 31st May
Two more eggs were laid yesterday. The 1st egg in nb5 south (probably laid on Friday 29th) and 2nd egg in nb3 west. Total back 41 (20 pairs, 1 single & 27 eggs – 3 ejected). As more of my resident pairs lay eggs so the swift activity around the house lessens. This is normal at this time each year. It won’t pick up again until the second wave of swifts arrive. These are 2-3 year old birds looking for a nest site. They usually start to arrive from the end of May into early June. If they’re lucky enough to find a suitable location they might even have a go at raising a family themselves. As sociable birds they will visit many existing colonies looking for nest sites and will fly up to investigate any openings. This behaviour is called banging and it’s great fun to watch. It’s also the time when there is the most activity around the colonies. Unfortunately this behaviour is weather dependant and only really happens on warm, dry days. Let’s hope this June has lots of them.
As May draws to an end it was definitely a month of two halves. The first half was wet and chilly followed by a scorching second half. I can’t remember a May as hot as the last week we’ve just had. However the garden coped pretty well with the extremes and is looking surprisingly good. Fingers crossed it will remain like this for the next few weeks until we open our garden sometime from mid June to early July.
Saturday 30th May
Yesterday morning by sheer luck whilst Jane was looking out of the kitchen window awaiting the arrival of our good friend Tom and his son Aleksy she saw a swift fall onto the garage roof. A prospector had momentarily knocked itself senseless whilst banging on a box. Retrieving the dazed bird I placed it in a shoebox in the garage so it could regain its composure. Ten minutes later Tom arrived. He is really passionate about swifts and has helped us out many times in the past by rehabbing the odd chick or two. He loves them so much the middle name of Aleksy is Apus! After giving the bird an hour to recover I called my mate George who is a licensed bird ringer and asked if he could inspect the swift just to make sure it was not seriously injured. Thankfully it was fine just a little dazed. After giving it the once over George took the opportunity to sex the bird which was a female and fit a ring on it at the same time. An hour later I released the swift from the bedroom window and we all watched it fly away. Here’s a very short video of the moment it went. Hopefully she will be a bit more careful next time it comes banging!
Friday 29th May
Not quite as hot yesterday which was a relief and as a result a little more swift activity around the house. We have a new bird in nb7 west, but whether it will take up residency is another matter. Quite often newcomers enter boxes but don’t stay long. There were also another 6 eggs laid – the first egg in nb3 west and the second eggs in nb5 west, nb3 & 4 north and nb1 & 4 south. Total back 41 (20 pairs, 1 single & 25 eggs – 3 ejected).
In case you missed it there was an excellent feature last night on BBC Springwatch about swifts. You can watch it on the BBC iplayer – 24 minutes from start. James O’Neill has been researching swift behaviour and discovered that swifts do not always pair up for life. Following the SLN conference Martin Calvert from Leeds Swifts eloquently recalled James talk :
“In April the Swifts started to return to the UK. At the colony, the first few Swifts to arrive were males who returned to their boxes of the previous year. Then a female arrived. After spending the first night alone in her box of the previous year, she then spent the next four nights in four different boxes with four different males – who were all very receptive to her company! She settled down with one of these males but it was a different partner to last year.
As a result of this one female box hopping, the pairs in these nine boxes all ended up being made up of different male/female partnerships compared to last year. Scandalous behaviour!
Compare this behaviour to that of the celebrity Swift couple in Bolton. Live streamed YouTube stars, Mart and Martha both returned from Africa within hours of each other and proceeded to produce three delightful chicks. The perfect family!
So the answer to the question about Swift loyalty is ‘maybe’. We think that if the male and female return at about the same time, then yes, they are faithful.
However, any length of absence and the likelihood of box hopping and partner change increases. Fascinating stuff!”
Thursday 28th May
Yesterday was quite full on with the ITV West Country news crew, Victoria and cameraman Dave. It was a tad too hot for everyone, including the swifts as temperatures rose to the low 30 degrees in the garden. Most of the filming was done under the shade of the old apple tree. Victoria was excellent at asking the right questions when she interviewed Jane and I. She has swifts on her house and knows what it’s like to be bitten by the swift bug! The swifts though weren’t quite as active as they could have been, but that’s not unsurprising as it was so hot. Much to everyones relief after a couple of hours of filming Victoria said she had enough material to make a decent swift story. Cue lots of cold drinks! We will be told in advance when it is going to be shown the news.
Wednesday 27th May
Up early today as we have ITV West Country news coming to film our swifts this morning, just hope it’s not too hot for the swifts and us!
Tuesday was a bit of an egg-fest with 5 eggs laid. The first eggs in nb5 west, nb1 & 4 south, nb3 & 4 north. Total back 40 (20 pairs & 19 eggs – 3 ejected).
The single bird in nb12 west has found a new mate. It lost its old mate last summer to a sparrowhawk. We helped out by fostering one of the two chicks into another box. The single parent did an excellent job in raising the chick and it fledged a few weeks later. The arrival of the new mate takes the colony total up to 40. All 20 boxes that were occupied last year now have pairs back in them. We only have 5 empty boxes left, 4 on the west side and 1 on the south. However the 4 boxes on the west side have had the odd singleton roosting in them, so the actual number of empty boxes may reduce even further if they take up permanent residence.
Tuesday 26th May
The mate of nb3 south returned yesterday. Total back 40 (19 pairs, 2 singletons & 14 eggs – 3 ejected).
Something very strange has happened in nb2 south. That’s the box where on Sunday a fight occurred and both eggs were ejected from the nest. One was thrown out the box and smashed on the ground below. I had no idea what happened to the other egg. When I checked last night there were 3 eggs back in that nest! Two look normal but the one on the left side looks very odd – see photo below. I think it is a soft shelled egg and not viable.
How on earth can there be 3 eggs in the nest 2 days after the others were ejected? There are a couple of possibilities I can think of. The old female returned on Sunday morning and kicked out the new female and threw out both her eggs. She then immediately laid a soft shelled egg, followed by a normal one, then yesterday morning she laid a second normal looking egg. An even more unlikely scenario is she laid a soft shelled egg on Sunday and a second normal looking egg yesterday and replaced the egg that was initially ejected but remained inside the box back into the nest. Whatever really happened is a complete mystery to me and totally unique behaviour.
Monday 25th May
Sunday was very busy again with plenty of action from the word go. The prospectors have begun to follow in some of the returning resident birds which has lead to several fights. We witnessed a fierce eviction from nb3 south as one followed in the singleton who was having none of it. Not so lucky was the bird in the adjacent box nb2 south, were a fight lead to both eggs being ejected. Unfortunately these types of incidents are quite common when the prospectors are about. Two more swifts also retuned. The single in nb8 west and the mate of nb1 north. Total back 39 (18 pairs, 3 singletons & 11 eggs – 3 ejected).
Following on from my post yesterday about the house martins down at the station Di Bunniss sent me some lovely photos of the birds at work. We have at least 10 pairs using the artificial boxes, but what was really nice was to see the newcomers starting to build some mud nests again.
Sunday 24th May
Yesterday was another busy day with plenty of screaming parties whizzing around the house. I’m pretty sure there’s half a dozen or more prospectors tagged onto the colony. They were still flying up to the boxes at 9.45pm last night when I checked my cameras to see who’s in. The good news is another 2 swifts are back. The mates of nb1 west & nb11 west. Total back 37 (17 pairs, 3 singletons & 10 eggs).
Some excellent news from the house martin colony I’ve been helping down at Sea Mills station. To recap the colony collapsed from over 20 pairs in 2018 to only 2 pairs in 2023 and between them they only managed to raise one brood each! Desperate to help we put up 16 artificial boxes in the Spring of 2024. (5 homemade and 11 supplied by Paul Stevens). Last summer that number had increased to 5 pairs, each raising double broods. This year is even better. The first birds arrived back in mid April and I reckon we may have over 10 pairs in residence now. The first clutches have just begun to hatch as I found empty egg shells under 3 nests yesterday morning.
Saturday 23rd May
Yesterday saw another 3 swifts arrive back. The mates of nb3 west and nb10 west and the missing single bird in nb3 south have returned. Total back 35 (15 pairs, 5 singletons & 10 eggs).
Remarkably after a very slow start my colony numbers are slightly better than this time last year, 15 pairs to 14 pairs, however the big difference is in the number of eggs laid. Only 5 pairs this year have eggs compared to 13 pairs last year who had completed their clutches. It highlights quite nicely the delay our swifts have experienced this Spring in returning to the UK. Thankfully it shouldn’t be a major problem other than the fledglings leaving a few weeks later than normal.
One other consequence of the delay to the established breeders returning home is they’ve arrived back at the same time as the first prospectors. So as they begin to settle back into their nest boxes they are being hassled by these youngster looking for a nest box. I think we might be in for a bit more argy-bargy than normal as territorial rites are fought over.
Friday 22nd May
The pop song what a difference a day makes could easily have applied to yesterday. Non-stop action all day long with screaming parties whizzing around the house from dawn to dusk. It was a real pleasure just to be outside and watch them. Another two more birds back. The first birds in nb1 & nb11 west. The two swifts that turned up a couple of days ago and roosted in nb6 and nb8 west I believe now have moved back into their correct boxes, nb10 & nb11 west. Both those boxes were occupied last night unlike nb6 & nb8 west which were empty. Second egg in nb5 north. Total back 33 (13 pairs, 7 singletons & 10 eggs).
The warm sunshine in the afternoon brought out all the flying insects once again. The garden was full of common blue and large red damselflies flitting about over the pond. Plus the first broad-bodied dragonfly of the year made an appearance. By sheer good fortune the blue tits and great tits chicks both fledged. For a while the garden was full of cheeping youngsters. One baby great-tit landed precariously on the edge of the gutter hopper. For a while we were worried it might topple in. Thankfully it flew off after a few minutes. The magpies though were a real nuisance. Brought in by all this fledging activity they skulked around in the hope they might catch an unsuspecting youngster. I spent best part of the morning waving my arms above my head like a madman to scare them away. By the afternoon things had calmed down, all the chicks were safely hidden in the trees and bushes and the magpies had moved on somewhere else. Peace had been restored.
To help the parents I’ve been placing a dish of live mealworms inside the old hedgehog feeding station. The blue and great tits can hop inside and it stops the magpies and jackdaws for entering. It’s worked a real treat.
Thursday 21st May
Things were hotting up yesterday and it wasn’t just the weather. Another 4 more birds arrived back. The first birds in nb10 & nb12 west and the mates of nb6 north & nb5 south. Along with these resident birds were also the first bangers of the year. Bangers is the name swift enthusiasts give to swifts that are looking for potential nest sites. These birds fly up to and “bang” the entrances to determine if the nest site is occupied or not. Occasionally they will enter boxes that are occupied and that’s when trouble occurs. That’s just what happened last night. The old mate in nb6 north had just reunited with its partner when a banger entered the box. A fight ensued as the resident male and interloper fought for ownership. It went on for several hours until the interloper was ejected and peace was restored. Hopefully it won’t return but sometimes these tussles for ownership can go on for several days. Total back 30 (13 pairs, 4 singletons & 9 eggs) Another 3 missing – nb3 south & nb4 & nb8 west.
Wednesday 20th May
The welcome transition away from this cold weather began yesterday. It was only a slight change as it went from wet and chilly to warm and wet but it made all the difference. With the modest increase in temperature it became quite muggy at times and this is what the swifts have been waiting for. There were lots more birds around and they were making quite a bit of noise. I counted at least a dozen whizzing high above the house. Every now and then a small group would descend and fly around the eaves, screaming as they went past. A sure sign that some more had arrived back. A check of the cameras at roosting time revealed another 4 swifts had returned. These newcomers were the first ones back in nb5 south, nb6 north and nb8 west, plus the mate of nb3 north. The swift in nb8 west interested me the most. That box was only entered once last year in June so not sure if it will stay or has just gone into the wrong box by mistake. I’ll keep an eye on that box over the coming days to see what happens next. On the egg count a second egg in nb2 south was laid. Keeping a tally of which swifts that are back can be quite difficult as some birds, mostly singletons stop coming into roost at night. It’s almost impossible to tell if their just decided to stay out or moved boxes and paired up with another singleton. Sometimes if the boxes are next to one another an educated guess can be made, but more often than not I just have to record them as missing. At the moment I have 3 singletons who fall into this category (nb4 west, nb1 north & nb3 south). Total back 28 (11 pairs, 4 singletons, & 9 eggs).
Tuesday 19th May
Yesterday was particularly chilly with nothing to report until right at the very end of the day. I was watching my swifts return to roost when something caught my attention. The resident birds fly in without any hesitation and it’s all over in a flash. But there was a couple of swifts who were not so confident. This pair were flying round and round the house and going up to the boxes before veering away at the last moment. A sure sign they had just returned. They were going through the process of re-acquainting themselves with their box and the practicalities of landing. First they had to identify their box and then work out the best approach to it. This seemed to take them a little while to suss out. However after several dummy runs they remembered which box and the old flight path and entered their respective boxes without any fuss at all. The two swifts I was watching were a singleton in nb3 west and the old partner of nb5 west. Whilst I was watching them I also caught a glimpse of the pair going into nb7 north. This is one of my non-camera boxes. I knew I had one swift in there as I had seen it enter several days ago but to see them both going in together was a real bonus. Total back 24 (10 pairs, 4 singletons & 8 eggs).
Monday 18th May
Not much to report from yesterday other than a 2nd egg in nb6 west. Total back 21 (8 pairs, 5 singletons & 8 eggs). Interesting though only one pair are incubating, all the others are leaving them uncovered and going out to feed. Sure sign that there’s a lack of insects around at the moment.
Where are all the swifts this year? That’s the most frequent question I’m being asked right now. This short weather video might help explain why there are so few swifts about at the moment. For the last few weeks a very unusual weather pattern has been affecting the whole of Europe. One of its adverse effects apart from the cold, has been to block our swifts from returning, temporarily penning them in further south in southern Europe. The good news is that it will ease over the next week or so and the long range summer forecast looks excellent. So while things are disappointingly quiet at the moment it has the potential to be a very good summer for swifts. Now I’ve seen it I’m feeling less anxious and more optimistic.
Sunday 17th May
I was hoping to see a few more arrivals yesterday but in the end only one turned up, the mate of nb4 north. I think the lack of passage was probably down to the wind direction which was still north-westerly until late afternoon. It’s been chilly here all week with temperatures barely going above 14C, not very swift friendly at all. Perhaps today we might see a better return although the temperature is not expected to go much above 12C which isn’t very good. Their numbers across the channel have dropped significantly in the last few days so I expect they’ve made it across. However as it’s so chilly here I expect they stay over lakes and rivers where the insects are in abundance for a while before moving on.
On the egg front 3 more eggs were laid. The first in nb2 south and the second in nb2 north and nb2 west. Total back 21 (8 pairs, 5 singletons & 7 eggs). Not wishing the days away but the weather forecast looks really good from Thursday onwards with temperatures predicted to be in the low 20’s. That should definitely pep up the swift action!
Saturday 16th May
Sadly after such a promising start yesterday morning with the arrival of a small group newcomers the action petered out as the day progressed. It’s still a bit too cold for them to engage in any prolonged prospecting activity. They need to spend all their time feeding at the moment. It needs to warm up first to get them interested and that’s not going to happen until the end of next week. The only other things of note was the first egg in nb6 west and the swift in nb5 south moving into nb4 south. Total back 20 (7 pairs, 6 singletons & 4 eggs).
Friday 15th May
Not quite as windy yesterday but still on the chilly side with frequent heavy showers during the afternoon. It felt more like April than May, nevertheless the slight drop in the wind allowed 2 more swifts to arrive. The first bird back in nb5 south and a newcomer in nb4 west. The latter one is the most interesting. That box was not occupied last year until late July when it was found by a prospector. I saw it enter a few times, but it only stayed for a few minutes and never roosted overnight. It now looks like it was just sussing out a potential nest site for the following year. On the number of swifts back I’ve not seen the two I marked down as maybes since I first saw them several days ago. I now believe they were in fact resident birds that just entered the wrong boxes by mistake. Total back 20 (7 pairs and 6 singletons). There was another egg laid, this one in nb2 west taking the total to 3.
The gentle breeze from the north west today is forecast to veer round to a south-westerly direction tomorrow. I’m confident this change of direction will encourage all those birds trapped just over the channel to make the short journey across. Keep watching the skies this weekend!
8am. A quick update to today’s blog. At least half a dozen newcomers have just arrived and are now whizzing around the house and investigating my boxes. Looks like they made it across the channel quicker than I predicted!
Thursday 14th May
Yesterday was another disappointing day weather-wise. We’re stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment with this chilly north-westerly airflow blowing over us. When it’s like this my birds go out in the morning and don’t usually return until they come back to roost in the evening. Occasionally I might see one come back in with some nesting material, usually white feathers but that’s about it for any swift action. Apart from that the only other highlight was the first egg in nb2 north. This is the same pair that went onto lay a true second clutch in July last year. This egg is 5 days later than last years, but it’s still pretty early for swifts to lay. Will they attempt a second clutch this year only time will tell?
No reports of any big influx of swifts across the UK yesterday, so they must still be on their way here. Just need this wind to ease to allow them to cross over. The outlook looks promising for the weekend when it’s forecast to swing round to a south-westerly direction.
Wednesday 13th May
A chilly north-westerly wind yesterday kept swift action to a bare minimum. No new arrivals so the colony numbers remains the same on 18 definite and 2 maybes. The pair in nb5 north seem to be incubating their sole remaining egg, so perhaps the other one was accidentally knocked out by mistake.
Although it was quiet here yesterday they’re on the move further south and east in Europe. The thousands of swifts that arrived in Spain on Monday have now moved up the coast and crossed the border into France. Over 29000 were recored in Falaise de Leucate. Another 8000+ are in the Netherlands and just under a thousand moving up the west coast of France near Bordeaux. They should start to arrive in the UK from Thursday onwards.
Tuesday 12th May
Yesterday 3 more swifts arrived. The first birds back in nb3 south & nb4 north and the mate of nb1 south. Total back 20 (7 pairs & 6 singletons). That’s about half of the colony safely home.
One of the hardest things to get right is the number of swifts who are actually here. Most swifts when the arrive back begin to roost immediately overnight which makes life very easy for me, but some are a little more elusive. So far I’ve had two swifts enter boxes and then disappear again. The mate of nb5 west has been back a couple of times but never roosts overnight and yesterday I had a swift enter nb3 south and leave again. I record them as returning birds with a question mark by the side with a note saying to be confirmed. Thankfully it will get easier as the season progresses, but at the beginning it’s in a bit of a state of flux.
Good news on the swift migration front yesterday. On the east coast of Spain near Valencia over 22000 arrived. Further up the east coast at Falaise de Leucate in France another 3411 were recorded. Should be here by the weekend.
Monday 11th May
So far only one egg been thrown out of nb5 north which has surprised me. Normally if a male suspects its mate has been unfaithful it will throw the whole clutch out. So there’s a slight possibility that the egg might have been accidentally knocked out rather than the male deliberately removing it. If this is the case and they may carry on an incubate the other egg as normal. I’ll keep a close eye on that box to see what happens next.
Two more swifts arrived yesterday. The mate of nb5 west and one in nb7 north one of my non-camera boxes. However back on 22nd April I thought I saw something enter this box, so it may have been here for some time already. Total back 17 (6 pairs & 5 singletons).
Further afield in Corsica another small wave of swifts (1365) and house martins (4099) arrived over the weekend. The house martins have already begun to move on. I will keep an eye on there to see if any more swifts arrive in the coming days. That’s about a week or so from the UK.
Sunday 10th May
Yesterday saw a second egg in nb5 north but it’s not there anymore. This morning I can see a smashed egg on the ground beneath that box. It’s the box where the female paired up with another male before her old mate returned on 30th April. There was a fight and the interloper was ejected. I suspect he had doubts about his mates fidelity and deposed of them. Not to worry though as they will have another clutch in a week or so’s time.
Following on from the premier of The ‘other’ Taylor Swift a quick thank and update from the director Justin Anderson.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all local network members for their support in helping us finish and finally launch our film. We wouldn’t have got things off the ground without your help, so a massive ‘thank you’ from our team. I have had lots of enquiries from members so wanted to pass on the following info:
If you haven’t seen the film you can watch it here https://theothertaylorswift.org Just follow the weblink, click on ‘watch film’ and enter the password ‘swiftsanctuary123’ to open the viewing link.
You can still help us by forwarding the link to your members, sharing it on social media or if you like the film, even making a donation to our swift fund through the secure payment portal on the webpage. If you are on instagram you can help by following us on @the_other_taylor_swift.film and keep updated with the film’s journey.
If you would like to host a community screening for your group to celebrate the swifts returning or as part of Swift Awareness Week starting 27th June, do email me on jandersontv@yahoo.com
Many thanks again for all your support.
Justin Anderson – director The ‘other’ Taylor Swift
Saturday 9th May
Yesterday I saw the biggest arrival of the season so far as four more made it back home. Singles in nb2 & 4 south and nb1 & 3 north. However just to complicate matters one of the birds in nb1 south is missing. I think it’s moved back into nb2 south to rejoin it’s old mate from last year. I’m expecting to see a second egg in nb5 north this morning once the pair go out to feed. Total back 15 (5 pairs & 5 singletons).
There’s a few thousand gathering again along the coasts of Belgium and the Netherlands waiting to cross over. To help them on their way there’s a light easterly tail wind blowing across the North Sea. I have a feeling that we might see a few more return either today or tomorrow.
Friday 8th May
Yesterday saw the first egg of the season. It was laid in nb5 north. The surprising thing is that it was laid after only 7 days and not the 10 day mark I normally expect to see it. There are a couple of factors which might explain why it was so early. Firstly there are plenty of insects around again and secondly this is the box where the first bird arrived back on 18th April. I think it was the female who arrived in mid April, so she’s been here for almost 3 weeks, plenty of time to get into prime egg-producing condition.
Another relatively rare occurrence also happened yesterday as well. The pair in nb6 west arrived back together. In all the years I’ve been recording their arrival dates I can count on one hand the number of times a pair has arrived back on the same day. Total back 11 (5 pairs & 1 singleton).
Thursday 7th May
Yesterday the mate of nb2 north returned, apart from that not much else to get excited about. Total back 9 (4 pairs & 1 singleton).
Another 5000+ swifts arrived at Falaise de Leucate yesterday, but their numbers in the first week of May are significantly lower than previous years. I was sent this interesting report from fellow swift enthusiast Mark Wagstaff. It was written a few days ago by Banstead Swifts which helps explain why the numbers are lower than expected. The encouraging thing though is since it was written their numbers have started to increase, so perhaps the blocking wind is easing.
“If you have been wondering why Falaise de Leucate has been almost absent on the Trektellen swift migration lists this year, this is why: weather conditions. The swifts have not been travelling through there in any large numbers at all, under 2000 so far. Essentially thousands of swifts must have re-routed to avoid weather systems. We have not seen anything like this in 7 years of closely observing swifts and watching their migration” – Banstead Swifts Report 4th May.
Wednesday 6th May
Yesterday despite the sunshine it was a bit on the chilly side. The drop in temperature curtailed any swift activity and I didn’t see or hear anything all day. No more arrivals either to add to the 8 that I have back so far. In total that’s roughly about a quarter of my colony. Last year I had 18 breeding pairs, so still quite a few more breeders still to come
The 35,000 or more swifts that were gathered in Belgium and The Netherlands last week are now in the UK. Most places now have a few birds back. The good news is another wave of swifts has just arrived in France and Spain. Yesterday just under 6000 arrived in Falaise de Leucate along with another 1520 in Devesa de l’Albufera. Hope to see a few more arrive home this weekend.
Tuesday 5th May
Most of the swifts I saw over my house yesterday morning did belong here. Checking my cameras late last night confirmed another 3 had arrived. The mates of nb2 west and nb1 south and a singleton in nb5 west. That takes the total back to 8 (3 pairs and 2 singletons). I normally expect to see the first egg about 10 days after the pairs reunite. So nb5 north around 10th May followed by nb2 west and nb1 south on 14th May.
Monday 4th May
Nothing much happened yesterday on the swift front, however things look a bit more promising this morning. I saw 4 swifts over the house at 6.30am. I thought that was early for my birds to be out and about so I checked all my cameras. Sure enough all my 5 birds were still in their boxes. So we have some newcomers that have just arrived. However I’m not sure if they’re all mine as there are several small colonies close to me, but I’m hopeful some of them might be.
In the garden the great tits and blue tits both have young to feed and are busily going back and forth to their respective boxes with food. I was going to take my feeders down this weekend, but I think I’ll leave them up for a while to help them out during this busy period. I’ve also got a few live mealworms left which the great tits are particularly fond of.
Last week dozens and dozens of the large red damselflies emerged from the pond, perching on the nearby vegetation to bask in the warm sun. See RH photo. I’ve not seen any common blues yet, but they’re normally a bit later than the reds.
The recent warm weather has been really good for butterflies. I’ve seen more this Spring than I can remember seeing for many a year. The most abundant are the holly blues, followed by quite a few orange tips, speckled woods and small white. Plus the occasional brimstone, peacock and red admiral and the first painted lady of the year. See LH photo. Sadly though no small tortoiseshell. A butterfly that was so common in the 1960’s but now a bit of a rarity.
Saturday 2nd May
Yesterday saw my 5th swift return home. This one belongs to nb2 north. I also saw and heard during the day several small screaming parties over my house, not huge numbers, threes and fours but nevertheless so welcome. It brought the sky alive again. On a wider UK front there were numerous posts on all the swift facebook groups reporting their swifts were back. It looks like quite a few made it across the North Sea yesterday, no doubt helped by the lighter southerly winds. Hoping for a few more to return today.
Friday 1st May
My fourth swift returned yesterday and guess where it went, nb5 north. The old mate had returned and just in time. Maybe that explained what went on over the past couple of days.
Swift numbers continue to grow as the gather along the coasts of Belgium and the Netherlands. In the hot-spots that Trektellen monitor somewhere in the region of 35,000 were recorded yesterday. However I expect the true number is much higher as they are all along those coasts away from the recording stations as well. It’s the vast majority of our breeding adults waiting for the winds to drop and the opportunity to cross over. The conditions look ideal for today and tomorrow.
Thursday 30th April
My third swift returned last night to nb1 south. However what caught my attention was what happened in nb5 north. This pair have been together for the last few days but something changed last night. There was a frosty stand-off between both of them before the swift from nb2 west upped and left and returned to its original nest box. Why was there this alteration after they’d been together for the last few days? Maybe the sight of the third swift returning to the colony reminded them both that their old mates might still be on their way back.
I don’t want to get too carried away but things are looking really promising on the swift front. Firstly Portland Bill have been reporting a steady passage of swifts for the last couple of days, but more impressive are the numbers just across the North Sea in Belgium and the Netherlands. Getting on for 20,000 are gathering to cross over. To help them on their way this easterly wind will swing round to a more southerly direction tomorrow, heralding I suspect the first big influx of the season. The next few days should be great.
Tuesday 28th April
One of the problems with swifts that return early is they don’t always wait for their old mates to return before finding a new one. That’s exactly whats happened here yesterday. The bird in nb2 west (back on 22nd April) has moved in with the bird in nb5 north (back on 18th April). There is some merit in doing this as both of their old mates might have perished since last year, however I will be very surprised if that’s the case. More likely is they will both turn up in the next few days or weeks. When that happens there will be conflict in nb5 north. Watch this space.
Monday 27th April
Despite the warm, sunny weather over the weekend I still have just the 2 swifts back. No newcomers have arrived since the 23rd April. The vanguard of very early birds have now dispersed across most of the UK, returning to their traditional nesting areas. They will be joined by vast majority of breeders soon. In previous years this happened around the middle of May. It will be interesting to see if this pattern still holds true or will they arrive a week earlier just like the vanguard did. However there’s no signs of them yet on Trektellen, so they’ve not started to arrive in southern Europe. I will update my blog as soon as I see them arrive.
Sunday 26th April
Yesterday we were invited to watch the premier of ‘The ‘Other’ Taylor Swift’ at the Watershed cinema here in Bristol. The half hour film produced by Justin Anderson and Duncan Parker highlights the tireless work of Swift rehabber Louise Bentley. It’s a wonderful film, beautifully shot which shows why rehabbers like Louise dedicate so much of their time and energy looking after these special birds. Some of the amazing footage of swifts in flight was filmed around our house. The ending is so heartwarming it may bring a tear to your eye. To see the film click on this link and scroll down to WATCH FILM click on that link and enter password swiftsanctuary123.
Friday 24th April
Yesterday we identified a fault with our Contact page which meant no emails were getting through to us. It is now fixed. Unfortunately we’re not sure how long this has been going on. Apologies if you tried to contact us recently. If you have and not had a reply please email us again.
Yesterday I had my first (small) screaming party of the year. It was only 3 swifts and they only flew over once but it was a most welcome sight and sound.
Reports of swifts arriving all over the UK yesterday. I expect that trend to continue today and over the weekend.
Thursday 23rd April
Yesterday my second swift returned. This one belongs to nb2 west. A question I’m often asked is are the same birds the first back each year. The answer is no. It’s impossible to tell individual birds apart, so all I can do is identify which boxes are occupied first. I’ve never in all the time I’ve been keeping records ever had the same box occupied first in consecutive years. This year nb5 north was the first box occupied (18th April), last year it was the 6th box occupied on 2nd May. Nb2 west who arrived yesterday was the 4th box occupied in 2025.
Some of the swifts that have been moving up through France over the last few days are just beginning to arrive in the UK. Yesterday Portland Bill Bird Observatory recorded 45, their highest daily total of the year so far. More are set to join them either today or tomorrow with over 6000 sighted just across the North Sea in Breskens in The Netherlands. With the weather set fair we should be in for a real treat over the coming days.
Wednesday 22nd April
Nothing much to report from Swift House as I wait for my second swift to return. However it has been busy elsewhere with a sprinkling of swifts arriving all over the UK. One of the most notable arrivals is 5 at a friend of ours house in West Harptree near Chew Valley lake. They have lots of swifts nesting in natural crevices under the eaves. There must be at least 18 pairs there, possibly even more than that but it’s too difficult to tell exactly without the aid of cameras. We’ve been there a couple of times to watch them whizzing around and it’s a truly amazing sight.
More swifts are on their way as Trektellen reported 3533 crossing the Gironde river near Bordeaux yesterday. That’s only about 2 days away as the swift flies, so we can expect to see them arrive from tomorrow onwards.
Monday 20th April
My lone swift returned around 8pm last night and shot into its box without making a sound. It was all over in a matter of seconds.
Further afield down in France lots more swifts are arriving. Yesterday saw over 6000 at Falaise de Leucate a traditional migrant hot-spot near the France/Spain Border. There looks like there are two separate routes which swifts follow to get to the UK. One up the west coast of France and another further inland following the Ardeche and Rhone rivers towards Belgium. On the west coast 1432 crossed the Gironde river at Pointe de Grave near Bordeaux, whilst at the same time 1057 followed the Ardeche River north-eastwards heading towards the Rhone river. By my reckoning that makes them only 2 maybe 3 days away.
Sunday 19th April
My swift silently slipped out of its box just after 8am this morning. I won’t see it again until it returns tonight. If it wasn’t for the cameras I would have no idea it was there at all. I’m sure there are many others in the UK that have returned unnoticed as well.
Not only were lots of swifts sighted in Belgium yesterday but another sizeable number (3115) arrived at Falaise de Leucate in south-east France. There were numerous sighting recorded all over France. One of the biggest was over a thousand following the Ardeche river north-eastwards whilst a smaller group (542) went up the west coast and crossed the mighty Gironde river near Bordeaux. They’re on their way!
Saturday 18th April
8pm. First swift back tonight in nb5 north. I thought something might happen today as a friend emailed me earlier saying thousands were arriving in Belgium. Looks like one made it across the North Sea to me. Its arrival is 2 days earlier than my previous record set in 2018.
Friday 17th April
Our swifts are on the move. The first big influx of swifts (1170) arrived at Falaise de Leucate in south-east France yesterday. It’s not the main group which will number in the tens of thousands, but it’s definitely the vanguard. The vanguard are the early birds that arrive a few weeks before the rest. As the swift flies that’s only 3-4 days from the UK. Based on those calculations we just might see our first swifts back on Sunday or Monday.
Thursday 16th April
I’ve started to scan the skies on a daily basis hoping to catch a glimpse of the first swift of the season. Not unsurprisingly I haven’t seen any yet but despite my misplaced optimism I have seen quite a few other returning summer migrants. The ones that have given me most pleasure in recent years are the house martins at Sea Mills Station. The colony there collapsed from over 20 pairs in 2018 to just 1 pair in 2023. To help reverse this rapid decline we fitted 16 artificial nest boxes in March 2024. Our efforts were immediately rewarded with 3 broods raised in two of our the new boxes. In 2025 the number of pairs using our artificial boxes rose to 5, with each pair raising 2 broods. Not sure what will happen this year but the omens are encouraging so far with the first pair returning in the last couple of days, a good couple of weeks earlier than last year and more on the way according to Trektellen.
Wednesday 15th April
Not long now before the swifts return and all across the country swift lovers are going to extraordinary lengths to welcome them back. Not far from me in Bristol is one such project. The Bishopston Swifties as they call themselves are in the process of installing over 50 swift boxes around their neighbourhood -see photos below. Putting up that many boxes is a wonderful example of the local community wanting to help and working together. We wish them every success in the coming months.
Wednesday 8th April
Lots of excitement on the swift networks yesterday as the first swifts were seen back in the UK. In total there were 5 single sightings seen in the UK – Godrevy Point and Housel Bay in Cornwall, Portland Bill in Dorset and Rainham Marshes and Walthamstow Wetlands in London. No doubt wafted here on the warm southerly wind. Although welcome it’s still a bit early for the real influx which I don’t expect we’ll see until the end of the month. Nice to see a few back though.
Sunday 5th April
Yesterday saw the first big influx of swifts into south-east France. Over 500 arrived in Falaise de Leucate. This coastal area is a biodiversity hotspot in southern France and part of the Narbonnaise Regional Natural Park. It is a premier birdwatching site on a migration corridor where over 280 bird species pass, including pink flamingos, herons, terns, and large numbers of swifts and swallows gather on their way back to their traditional breeding grounds.
Wednesday 1st April
April is swift month here at Swift House, with the first arrivals returning on average around the 26th. However we have had one return as early as the 20th in the past, so it’s difficult to predict exactly when the first one will arrive.
Whilst we wait for them to return here is a brief summary of what has happened so far in the garden this year.
The pond. The first newts appeared in the pond in late January. The first frog spawn arrived on 26th February, but only 8 clumps. I normally expect to see well over 30! More worrying was no toad spawn at all. Maybe last years hot dry summer has taken its toll on the adults.
Birds. The blue tits and dunnocks started nest building around the middle of March. Both now are on eggs. The great tits have only just begun nest building in the last couple of days. A pair of collared doves and wood pigeons have been prospecting for suitable nesting sites in my two large conifer trees. Robins, greenfinches and goldfinches have all paired up but no sign of them nesting yet. In all I’ve counted over 20 different species since the turn of the year.
Butterflies. In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen several species including the peacock, holly blue, brimstone and speckled wood. No doubt encouraged to venture out by the warmer weather.
Bees. The mild spring has meant several bumblebee species have been on the wing for several weeks now. The first red mason bees emerged yesterday, only a couple but I expect lots more will follow in the coming days.
Sadly though no sign of my hedgehogs. They went missing last summer. I had hoped they might return this Spring, but alas no sign of them at the moment.
Tuesday 24th March
The first vanguard of swifts have just started to arrive in Corsica. One of their traditional stop-over spots is the Dunes de Prunete, located on the Costa Verde in eastern Corsica. It is a protected natural area well known for its biodiversity, fine sandy beaches, and coastal wetlands. This coastal ecosystem, adjacent to the Plage de Prunete in Cervione, serves as a crucial habitat for various flora and fauna and acts as a significant site for migrating birds. Once refuelled they will continue on they way north reaching us by the end of April or early May.
22nd March
Sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow. I normally put my boxes back up in the first week of April, but the weather was so good today I thought I’d put them up early. Each year I try to leave it as late as possible, mainly to lessen the risk of my resident blue tits and great tits from moving in. However as they’ve both started nesting early this year there was no need to worry on that front.
Sunday 1st February
A trailer called The ‘other’ Taylor Swift has just been released by our swift friend, Bristol based wildlife film Producer Justin Anderson. It is the heart-warming story of the wonderful swift rehabilitation work of another swift friend, Louise Bentley at Bolton & Bury Swifts. The film will feature the fortunes of three swift chicks – Babs, Winchester and Taylor. It will also include footage of swift activity from around our boxes. Barrie Britton a renowned wildlife cameraman captured some stunning swift action, so we’re excitedly looking forward to seeing it. Here is a link.
The film has been made entirely by volunteers and is not-for-profit. If you would like to contribute to a Crowdfunder to help Justin complete his film here is a link.
