See the main page for notes, photos, and diaries for other years.
The numbered nestboxes can be seen on this photo.
2014-August-30 Well, the evening of the day (2014-August-26) that I took the photo of two young swifts looking out of nest-space #w2r, the adult birds returned for the night at 8.08pm and 8.18pm, then one youngster left at 8.24pm and the other at 8.27pm (so fairly dark, but I've seen them leave into darkness before). One adult bird returned at dusk on each of the next two nights, but both times it left again after a few minutes. So that looks like the end of swift activity for 2014. I'll check the various nest-places from my ladder shortly, to try to get a better idea of how many pairs there were, and which had young. My guess at the moment is 5 pairs with young, and two others for which I'm uncertain.
2014-August-26 Young swifts looking out from nest-space #w2r.
Perhaps I hadn't looked closely before, but I can easily see two young swifts looking out. It's quite a 'complicated' space that they're in, so I don't know where they've chosen to place their nest. The gap which the left bird is looking out through isn't large enough for them to fit through - they only fit where the right bird is, where I enlarged the gap after swifts showed interest in it some years ago.
2014-Aug-25 I've now aimed the 'outside' camera at the entrance above the right window where the swifts are still active, and have already video-captured 5 comings and goings this afternoon. I don't know where the nest is relative to the entrance. I can see a number of droppings inside close the entrance, and twice now have seen a dropping dislodged from there onto the window-sill as a bird enters or leaves. It's not worth putting the live video online, as you'd stand little chance of actually seeing a swift. These swifts are now my record-holders for latest in the year, overtaking my first-ever breeding pair which left on either August 23 or 24 in 2012.
2014-Aug-24 This evening, I was about to write that all my swifts seem to have left - I'd not seen anything for two days, and indeed I assume that the pair in the soffit above the left window and their young have gone, but then a few minutes ago 7.55pm, I saw a bird fly past rapidly - swift-speed, and not like the house-martins that are still around. I went outside, and saw a swift enter the space about the right window, and for the first time heard 'twittering' of young after it arrived. So they're still here, and with no droppings yet evident on the sill below, and this being the first time I heard the young, maybe they have some time to go yet before they're ready to leave. [Correction: there is one dropping on the window-sill - I hadn't been looking, as wasn't expecting anything.]
2014-Aug-19 Swifts are still entering the two holes in the soffit - I saw one return to each hole this evening. I didn't hear any 'twittering' from young when the adult entered the hole at top-right of the left window, so it's now a few days since positive evidence that young are present.
2014-Aug-14 The swifts with young are still there in the hole at top-right of the left window - adults seen entering and leaving, and the young heard 'twittering' when food is brought. And swifts are still entering the equivalent hole at top-right of the right window, but no evidence so far of young here - they make an impressive 'thwack' when entering this hole, as the wood above the window provides both a grip for landing, and acts as a 'sounding board'. It's become instinctive for me, when I'm in the garden and hear the rush of air on swift wings overhead, to look towards the nesting places to see where the bird goes, rather than just looking towards where the noise came from.
2014-Aug-11 After a day or two with strong winds and heavy rain, I've finally got the 'outside' camera close enough to the hole in the soffit to be certain to capture video of birds entering or leaving (not online). The adult birds returned just before 9pm (GMT+1) this evening, by which time it was fairly dark. I can hear the noise fom young ones, and today noticed droppings on the window-sill below the nest - once large enough, the young will 'aim' through the opening if they can access it (often impossible with a nestbox, unless if has a 'floor' entrance). Either way, swifts produce very little 'mess' - the adults 'eat' the droppings of the young when they are smaller.
2014-Aug-7 I'm now fairly certain that there are one or more young swifts in the soffit hole at top-right of the left window. I've heard the characteristic 'twittering' from them, and maybe seen one looking out. I'm not sure about the equivalent space near the other window.
2014-Aug-6 Swifts are still entering the spaces in the soffit at top-right of both windows, but I haven't seen or heard signs that they have young ones.
2014-Aug-2 No swifts at all in the 2 camera boxes last night, so looks like that's it for live video this year - I've now turned it off. I've seen a few swifts fly by today, and still saw one enter the space in the soffit at top right of one of the windows.
2014-Aug-1 No swifts returned to box #4 last night, and only one to box #1. The single bird stayed in the box until 9am this morning - much later than normal, and I wonder if that's the last of them now for 2014. I should have chance to watch for swifts entering the other boxes and spaces this evening, and I've realised (thank's to something someone else said) that the presence or absence of droppings in the boxes without cameras should be a clear indication of whether young were raised or not.
2014-Jul-30 With the young swifts now having left the two camera-nestboxes, the adult birds have still been returning each night, but last night there was only one bird in box #4 (still a pair in box #1).
Although the adult birds whose young have left don't usually return to the nestbox between dawn and dusk, I'm still seeing birds entering at least box #2 and the two soffit-spaces at top-right of the windows. The space inside the soffit is a single continuous space, though partly divided in 'compartments' by the ends of the rafters. The swifts which enter at top-right of the left window seem usually to leave via the next hole to the right - about 40cm away. The holes at the top corners of the windows might be easier as entrances, since there is more of a foothold, rather than just a vertical hole with a smooth wall below.
2014-Jul-27 The final young swift on camera fledged from nestbox #1 at 07:12 (GMT+1) this morning.
Later in the day, an adult swift entered with a food bolus (distinct swelling of the throat), but finding no young to feed it to, it was about a quarter of an hour before it must have swallowed it. And an adult entered with a stalk of grass, which it added to the nest, which you wouldn't have thought served much purpose at this time of year. All 4 adult birds returned for the night, and birds are still entering other nest-spaces.
2014-Jul-26 Two more young swifts fledged today, so there's only one left on camera now. The 2nd (and final) one left box #4 at 10:16 (GMT+1), and the 1st one left box #1 just two minutes later at 10:18 (GMT+1). There may or may not still be young in other nests (can't be 100% certain there ever were any).
Later: all 4 adult birds (in-camera) back for the night: In box #1 to join their one remaining youngster, and in box #4 to find it empty (I know they didn't visit earlier on today, since the 2nd youngster left, as the camera would have captured it). I've seen birds enter the other 3 (non-camera) boxes during the day (even #3, which seems less popular), also both soffit-spaces at top-right of the windows. Certainly no shortage of swifts flying around, and a group of maybe 40 flying high up in the evening.
2014-Jul-24 I was just writing that all 4 young swifts on camera were still here, when I realised that I'd only seen 1 in box #4 for a while (it's more difficult to be certain this year, as the entrance isn't in view - avoids the problem of too much light in the camera). Looking back through the saved motion and audio-detected recordings, I've got video from both inside and outside of one swift fledging at 09:11 (GMT+1). That's 41 days since the first egg hatched - two days less that the ones in the other box last year.
Clearly it won't be long until the others fledge. They are exercising, doing 'push-ups' and wing-flapping, and spend time looking at the world outside.
I think I've seen a young swift looking out from box #5 (no camera), where it always seemed likely they were breeding. And pairs are still entering at least 3 other places - one box, and two holes in the soffit. I haven't spotted the pair going under the slates for some time, but it's not so easy to see those.
2014-Jun-29 Both pairs of chicks on camera seem to be doing well - eyes are open, and feathers developing. I've already seen wing-flapping exercises. I keep thinking that those in box #4 are significantly smaller, but I suspect it's just that the view is from a little further away.
Activity at other boxes and nest-spaces continues. I'm fairly confident that they are breeding in box #5 (where there were some preparations last year). Pairs are regularly entering the soffit via the holes at top-right of both windows. More recently, birds have been confidently flying into box #2, which had little attention in the past. As far as I know, the pair under the slates are still active, but I can't easily watch them from the garden. Just box #3 is left with seemingly little activity, so I'd say there are at least 7 pairs of swifts either breeding, or making preparations. Perhaps it will become more evident nearer fledging-time where they are actually breeding.
A few days ago, I saw a swift enter one of the trial 'brick-size' nestboxes, where there is an active sparrow-nest. There was a lot of noise from the resident sparrow, and other sparrows gathered nearby looking 'worried'. The swift left after about half an hour, and I haven't seen one enter since. The sparrows seem to have carried on as though nothing had happened.
2014-Jun-16 Well, I wasn't far off with the estimate for hatching-time below. First saw a swift chick in box #1 on Friday 13th June 2014, and one in box #4 later the same day. Next day, the 2nd egg in box #1 had hatched as well, and on the Sunday, two chicks were visible in box #4.
Still no definite news about what other spaces are occupied by breeding pairs, but box #5 remains popular, as do the holes into the soffit at top-right of both windows.
2014-Jun-11 As far as I know, all is still well with the eggs in the two swift boxes with cameras. I've not been closely studying the motion-detecttion recordings this year (it takes forever!), and haven't seen the eggs for some time, as there is nearly always at least one bird sitting on them. At least I know that there are no eggs displaced from the nest (and e.g. into the far corners of the box).
I have now seen swifts (sometimes pairs) entering 7 of the nest-spaces. That's 4 boxes (including the two with cameras), 2 holes in the soffit, and the space under the slates. I imagine a number of these are breeding, but difficult to tell. It should become clearer later in the season when young ones might be present, or I might attempt to take a look if one of the small infra-red cameras will fit through the holes.
2014-May-31 There are two eggs in each of the camera-nestboxes. Enough time has passed to say that they seem to be staying with two (after the 3-egg clutch last year). I calculate that they might start to hatch around Saturday 14th June 2014.
I still can't say for certain what other boxes and holes might be occupied by swifts. As well as birds which seem to have selected a space (and indeed might be breeding), there are now birds investigating other spaces. Last night, at 9:40pm, a swift made repeated approach runs - 'banging' on potential holes, and sometimes settling for a while where it could get a grip. It was almost dark, so I could scarcely see what the bird was doing - you would think they would search for unknown holes in good light!
I have seen both a sparrow and a blue tit enter one of the trial 'brick' swift-boxes. Perhaps seeing other birds might encourage a swift to investigate again.
2014-May-24 First egg laid in box #4 (9:26am I think - difficult to be certain with both birds in the way). Heavy rain today, so the birds are at their nests for more of the time.
Yesterday, I twice saw a swift enter one of the holes which I made in the soffit some year ago, at the top corners of the windows. One of these was prospected in previous years, but swifts haven't bred there. The bird entered for the night at 9:24pm - almost dark by then, and I'm sure it must have made about 20 'approach-runs', sometimes bailing out, and sometimes half-clinging on but then dropping away, before finally entering the hole. It will have to learn to do it better, or it will spend most of the time flying in circles trying to get in. This morning, two swifts were doing 'follow my leader' towards this hole - is it one trying to show the other where it is? Eventually, the leader entered, so perhaps not long before I can confirm two birds going in there? I'll have to make up more names for the nest-spaces - think I'll call this one #w1r (top-right of first window).
So that makes 5 nest-spaces either in use, or being investigated. That still leaves two very similar boxes unused, and there are more holes in the soffit.
2014-May-22 The swifts in box #1 produced their first egg this morning (9:40am).
2014-May-21 Both pairs on camera (boxes #1 amd #4) seem to be progressing fine. No eggs yet, but nests made of white feathers seem to be the 'in thing' for fashion-conscious swifts this year. I'm still not sure what other swifts I have. I've seen the pair enter the hole to get under the slates (which they prospected last year - must be a very small space there), but they aren't in clear view from my garden. And I've seen birds enter boxes #3 and #5, which I don't think are just the pair from #4 going into the 'wrong' box. It would be good to see a pair enter these boxes when the pairs in #1 and #4 are on their nest (visible on camera), then I'd be certain. I've not so far seen any activity at box #2, or the two brick-sized boxes being trialled.
2014-May-15 By now, there are pairs of swifts in both camera nestboxes: the 2nd of the pair returned to box #1 in the evening on 2014 May 9th; and a 2nd bird entered box #4 a few times on 2014 May 13th - it didn't stay the night, but was there again several times on 2014 May 14th and this time did stay overnight. I'm waiting for a chance to watch how many birds enter other boxes and spaces in the evening.
2014-May-7 The swift in nestbox #1 returned again last night. Twice I saw a swift enter nestbox #5, with a following swift landing on the roof of the box. This morning, I saw both swifts enter nestbox #5. A single swift entered nestbox #4 (with camera) in the evening.
2014-May-5 I saw two swifts over the village at 8:10pm last night, and some more this morning. Someone nearby has one back in a nestbox. This evening, around 8pm, a swift entered camera-nestbox #1 (where a pair has bred for two years) - it stayed overnight.
2014-April-20 I've just finished checking the nestboxes, and arranging two video cameras for the 2014 season.
This is nest box #1 in which swifts raised young for the first time in 2012, and in 2013 (with a camera in the box for the first time) raised 3 chicks. In 2013, the first swift arrived on the evening of 2013 May 6th.
I've arranged the camera for a closer view in 2014 - it's nearer to the nest, and is using a 3.6mm (instead of 2.1mm) lens. Although this means I won't be able to see the entrance, it avoids problems with bright sunlit areas in the field of view.
This nest box (#4) is my 'best guess' for another one which might be used for breeding in 2014. Swifts entered all the other boxes in 2013, but I think this one was the most common, and was used for overnight roosting. The birds seem to have removed most of the feathers etc. which I had stuck to the 'nest concave', and I wonder if perhaps they were starting to make a nest outside the concave (nearer the camera).