See the main page for notes, photos, and diaries for other years.
The numbered nestboxes can be seen on this photo, and the entrances to the internal boxes on the gable end in this photo.
| Year | Nest | Adult1 | Adult2 | Egg1 | Egg2 | Egg3 | Hatch | Fledge1 | Fledge2 | Fledge3 | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #1 | May-9 | May-22 | Jun-20 | Jun-23 | - | Jul-12 | Aug-24 | - | - | Only 1 egg hatched. |
| 2020 | #2 | ≤May-5 | ≤May-24 | Jun-3 | Jun-5 | - | x | No eggs or chicks Jun-21. | |||
| 2020 | #2a | ? | ? | Jun-23 | Jun-25 | - | ≤Jul-16 | Aug-24 | x | - | Re-lay by same or different birds. One chick left early and died. |
| 2020 | #3 | ≤May-17 | ≤May-22 | ≥May-29 | ≤Jun-3 | Jun-6 | Jun-22/23 | Aug-2 | Aug-3/4 | x | 1 chick died. |
| 2020 | #4 | May-4 | May-8 | May-17 | May-19 | May-21 | Jun-5 & 7 & 8 | Jul-16 | Jul-20 | Jul-23 | |
| 2020 | #5 | ≤May-5 | ≤May-21 | ≥May-29 | May-31/Jun-1 | ≤Jun-3 | ≤Jun-21 | Jul-26 | Aug-1/2 | Aug-2 | |
| 2020 | #g1 | ? | ? | ≤May-28 | ≤Jun-3 | ≤Jun-3 | Jun-18 | Jul-27/29 | Jul-29/30 | Aug-4/5 | |
| 2020 | #g3 | ? | ? | ≥May-18 | ≤May-21 | ≤Jun-3 | ≤Jun-9 & 10 | Jul-22/23 | Jul-22/23 | x | Only 2 chicks Jun-21. |
| 2020 | #g4 | ? | ? | ≤Jun-3 | x | Egg gone Jun-9/10 | |||||
| 2020 | #g4a | ? | ? | Jun-25 | ≤Jun-29 | - | ≤Jul-16 | Aug-26/27 | Aug-28/29 | - | Re-lay by same or different birds. |
| 2020 | #g6 | ? | ? | ≤May-17 | ≤Jun-3 | ≤Jun-3 | ≤Jun-9 | Jul-17/19 | Jul-17/19 | Jul-21/22 | |
| 2020 | #sb2 | ≤May-6 | ≤May-28 | Jun-4/5 | x | 1 broken egg Jun-3, 0 eggs Jun-8. |
Predicted dates above based on the average for previous nests with camera: last egg to hatching 19 days; hatching to first fledging 42 days.
2020-Sep-2 The single remaining adult swift in nest #1 took my hint that it was time to go, and didn't return last night. I still saw an adult swift leave nest #b2 this morning, but that's essentially it for 2020, and I've turned off the live video.
Someone I know who lives about 100 yds along the road installed a 6-entrance swift-triangle 2 years ago, and this year attracted 2 breeding pairs. He says one pair are still there, so they must have made a late start. Hopefully returning youngsters from my own colony might find these nest-spaces in future years.
2020-Sep-1 The single remaining adult swift in nest #1 was still there last night - it's being very persistent, as that's now 8 nights since the chick fledged, and 3 nights since its mate left. The outside camera detected pairs of adult swifts leaving nests #b2 and #w2r this morning.
2020-Aug-29 The first young swift in nest #g4a fledged on 2020-Aug-26/27, and the second and last on 2020-Aug-28/29, with the nest seen to be empty today.
There might still be young swifts in nest #b2 and #w2r. Last night, only one adult swift returned to nest #1 - that's 5 nights since their single chick fledged.
2020-Aug-26 The two young swifts are still there in nest #g4a - predicted to fledge tomorrow.
Yesterday, I saw a swift leave brick-sized box #b2 with the typical 'flapping' flight of a fledgling, so it might have been one of the two young that were in there. Adult swifts are still visiting #b2 and #w2r suggesting some young ones are still there, and the pair of adults in #1 were there again last night, 2 nights after their single fledgling left.
2020-Aug-24 At 07:54 both adult swifts left nest #2a, and a minute later at 07:55 the single chick fledged. They were recorded leaving on the outside camera.
At 08:48, the single young swift fledged from camera nest #1.
2020-Aug-23 It's my predicted fledging-day for the single chick in camera nest #1 - still there this afternoon, as are those in #2a and #g4a.
There are at least two swift chicks still in 'brick-size' box #b2 - I've managed to take a photo through the entrance, as this nest isn't 'inspectable'. I think swifts in soffit nest-spaces #w1r and #w2r have left, the latter quite recently.
2020-Aug-21 Around mid-day, I found a fledgling swift on the lawn. Weight around 42g, and wing-length suggesting it might be ready to go, but more inclined to crawl towards darkness and not very lively. I found that one of the two was missing from nestbox #2 (predicted fledging in 4 days time), so I replaced it there, but later it was seen to be dead. The chicks are still present in camera-nest #1, and nest #g4a.
2020-Aug-5 The 3rd and last young swift in nest #g1 left, sometime between 15:14 yesterday and 09:20 today. So just the 5 chicks in the 3 'late' nests to fledge now, plus any in the nests which I can't inspect.
2020-Aug-4 The 2nd and last young swift in nest #3 left, sometime between 17:55 yesterday and 15:20 today - I would suspect yesterday evening, but the outside camera missed it. Just the small dead one left in the box, which I will retrieve at some point.
2020-Aug-2 The 2nd young swift of the 3 in nest #5 left, sometime between 16:50 yesterday and 17:38 today, and the 3rd one was seen leaving on the outside camera at 21:29.
The first young swift of the 2 in nest #3 was seen leaving on the outside camera at 21:32.
No other known changes. I think any young swifts in soffit-nest #w1r have now gone (there were droppings from young outside the nest). I can hear young swifts in soffit-nest #w2r. A pair of adult swifts (unknown if young ones) are still entering brick-sized #sb2. And a pair of adult swifts are still entering 'starling box' #sb2 (I saw them looking out this morning) - no eggs or young.
2020-Jul-29 The first young swift of the 3 in nest #g1 has left, sometime between two days ago and this morning.
2020-Jul-27 Yesterday evening, when fairly dark, I heard wing-flapping outside. It was a young swift attempting to climb a shrub. I weighed it: 40g, and the folded wings were considerably longer than the tail, so potentially ready to fly. I decided it was too late in the evening for 'test flights', so I kept it in a cardboard box overnight. This morning, once the rain had stopped, I took it to an open space, and allowed it to fly from my hand. Initially it flew horizontally near the ground, but eventually gained height, cleared some tall trees, and soon disappeared from view. I'm fairly sure it must have come from nest #5, as only 2 swift chicks remain there. It was about 6 days before my predicted fledging date, so a little early, but not impossible. My backup plan, if it didn't fly, was going to be to put it back in the nest.
While checking nest #5, I also looked in #3 - 2 chicks rather than the expected 3, and when one of them moved, I could see a smaller dead chick.
2020-Jul-23 The two swift chicks in nest #g3 fledged sometime between yesterday afternoon and this afternoon.
Last night, there was only 1 adult swift, plus the chick, in camera nest #4. Seeing just 2 birds late yesterday evening, I assumed the chick had fledged, but studying various saved videos from earlier showed it was an adult and chick. The chick fledged today at 17:38, and a single adult again returned at night. 7 days between fledging of first and last is the longest I have observed - one can only suppose that the late one was the chick which hatched 3 days after the first one, and was much smaller than the other two for quite some time.
2020-Jul-22 The 3rd and final swift chick in nest #g6 fledged sometime between yesterday afternoon and this afternoon, so that's the first 'empty nest' this season (of those I can inspect). The next expected to go are the 2 in nest #g3 - they were still there this afternoon.
2020-Jul-20 At 08:44, I saw the 2nd young swift fledge from nest #4 while watching from the garden (also recorded on the outside camera).
2020-Jul-19 2 of the 3 swift chicks in nest #g6 have fledged (all 3 were last seen 2 days ago).
2020-Jul-17 The 2nd egg in nest #g4a has hatched, likely the last hatching of the 2020 season.
2020-Jul-16 I managed to see that the 2 eggs in nest #2a have hatched (predicted 2 days ago, but I couldn't see until now due to an adult swift being in the way). In nest #g4a, one egg has hatched and still one to go. The 2nd egg in nest #1 still hasn't hatched - at 4 days since the first one hatched, it's getting unlikely that the 2nd one will hatch.
The first young swift fledged from nest #4 at 21:38 (seen leaving on the outside camera).
2020-Jul-12 At 08:52 this morning, spotted on video that one swift chick has hatched in nestbox #1, precisely on my predicted day. One egg remains (there were still 2 eggs yesterday).
The pleasant weather has brought a return to lots of 'prospecting' behaviour this morning. I even saw a swift enter the (so far unused) nestbox #g5 - I rarely watch the gable end ones, so it may have done this before, but there was no nesting material there the last time I looked.
2020-Jul-5 At 21:05 last night, the pair of swifts in nestbox #1 once again managed to displace one of their eggs from the nest (that's the 3rd time). On video, it was a very rapid movement by one of the birds, which actually displaced both eggs, but one bounced back into the nest. I noticed the displaced egg on video this morning, and at 11:05 I replaced it in the nest. The adult that was present left shortly afterwards - one returned a few minutes later, but of course it might not have been the same one. It wasn't until 16:40 that I had a definite view of both birds again, though I could have missed 'change-overs' - there's non-stop motion triggering the motion-detection, and it's so windy today that the audio-detection is being triggered all the time too. I suspect that swifts are fairly immune to disturbance - they just "don't seem to care" whatever happens. It shouldn't be a problem, an egg being out of the nest for that length of time - swift eggs (and chicks) survive being left unattended for considerable periods of time. If two chicks are raised in this nest, then they're lucky, as the eggs are only spotted out of the nest because of the camera.
2020-Jun-29 I was lucky today to choose a moment to look in the gable-end boxes when no adult swifts were 'at home', despite it not being particular warm, and strong winds. The only news there is a 2nd egg in nest #g4a - it's 4 days since the first one (and I didn't look since then) so a 3rd egg isn't yet ruled out (later: it remained 2 eggs). The chicks in 3 other gable-end nests were all present, and still no signs of any serious occupation of #g2 or #g5. In the 'starling box' #sb2, there are still no new eggs (earlier ones were broken), but the swift nest looks to have even more material. No starlings used that box this year, so the swifts had an empty box to start with.
2020-Jun-25 I've been checking nestbox #g4 regularly - an earlier egg disappeared, but a pair of swifts were still often there. Today, a first egg of another attempt was laid - I'll call this nest #g4a - can't be certain it's the same adult birds.
A second egg has been laid in nest #2a.
2020-Jun-23 A second egg was laid in nestbox #1 at 07:11 with just the female present this time. There was a visit by the male, and they left by 08:15, having managed to displace both eggs from the nest - I replaced them. There's no evidence they're removing them intentionally - I saw a swift's foot drag one out in the video, and they still appear interested in them even when they're not in the nest.
A single egg in nestbox #2 was laid today (earlier ones disappeared). As usual, Ican't say whether it's the same adult birds. I'm calling this nest #2a.
The third egg has hatched in #5, and the first of the three eggs in #3 has hatched.
2020-Jun-21 The single egg in nestbox #1 was displaced from the nest by the adult birds, I think around 06:00 this morning. I replaced it at around 11:20 - only a few inches, but I don't think the swifts would retrieve it themselves.
Made a check of all other accessible boxes, from which things of note: there were neither eggs nor chicks in #2 but a pair of adults (I was expecting 2 eggs, due to hatch soon); 2 of 3 eggs in #5 have hatched pretty much as expected; the 3rd egg in #g1 has hatched; I could only see 2 chicks in #g3 (I was expecting 3). Nothing new anywhere else. So what happened to the 2 eggs in #2 (last observed 2020-Jun-9), and to one of 3 chicks in #g3 (3 were observed on 2020-Jun-10)?
2020-Jun-20 It's 09:30 in the morning, and the pair of swifts in nestbox #1 haven't yet left today. Is it finally an egg-laying day...? Yes - I think the first egg was laid at 11:02, but it could have been earlier. Both swifts left for the first time today at 11:36. I've had eggs later than this, up to about the first week of July, but it's been either a newly established nest, or where there has been some kind of failure of an earlier attempt. In this case, one swift arrived back on 2020-May-9, but there wasn't a second one consistently present until 2020-Jun-8, and there was the 'fight' on 2020-May-31. I like late eggs - it means that the swift season is more prolonged.
2020-Jun-18 I've not written anything for a while, as there's not been much to say. Anyway, it was about time for hatching in swift box #g1, so I checked all the gable-end boxes. Indeed 2 out of 3 eggs in #g1 have hatched (presumably very recently, in view of the egg-laying time, and there still being one egg to hatch).
Three of my regular live-video viewers have mentioned one chick in nestbox #4 being much smaller than the other two. They did hatch over an unusually long period of 4 days, which might explain it, but the difference was very marked, though they do grow so quickly in the early stages. There was never an obvious difference in the size of the other two. Anyway, the small one is still doing fine - it often seems to get first go at the food when an adult comes in with a crop-full.
A few days ago, I was in my greenhouse, when a swift flew in through the open door and settled in an empty tray on a shelf at the far end. I was just assessing picking it up and taking it outside, when it took to the air itself, and flew back out the way it came. I was impressed! It's a big greenhouse, 20 feet long, and with an intermediate door part way along. No panicked flapping at the glass, like happens when blackbirds go in there. I can understand the swift flying in in the first place - with greenhouse doors wide-open, it could part of a low flightpath away from the nestboxes, if it wasn't for their being no exit through the glass at the far end.
2020-Jun-10 The single egg that had been in nestbox #g4 for a while has now disappeared. The 3rd egg in nestbox #g3 has now hatched.
2020-Jun-9 Still 2 eggs in swifts nestbox #2. so since it's 4 days since the 2nd egg was laid, I assume the clutch is complete, and have set the predicted hatching date accordingly.
Since it's nearly the predicted hatching time in #g3, and #g6, I thought I'd check (and considering early hatching in #4). There was an adult swift in both, but I managed to see that all the eggs have hatched in #g6, and 2 of the 3 in #g3.
2020-Jun-8 The third swift chick has hatched in camera nestbox #4, sometime between 06:00 and 12:59, so hatching was spread over several days. Assuming they hatched in the order laid, it was 19 days after laying for the first 2 and 18 days for the third.
Once again, there was only a single adult swift in nestbox #1 last night, so it still isn't clear what's going on there. Later: two swifts back in #1 again in the evening, so perhaps the absence of one last night wasn't significant (they do occasionally spend the night away).
There are now no swift eggs in 'starling' box #sb2, so that's at least two which have been destroyed or removed. It could be by swifts, or of course starlings since they can get in.
2020-Jun-7 The only news so far today is that a 2nd swift-chick has hatched in camera nestbox #4. I saw the 2nd chick on recorded video early this morning, and managed to see the 3rd egg still un-hatched around lunchtime.
2020-Jun-6 A cold day with plenty rain, welcome in a way as the month of May was so hot and dry. One more egg in nestbox #3, so I assume the clutch is complete at 3 eggs. I wonder what's going on in #g4 - I saw one egg 3 days ago, but still no more. Perhaps I'll check at night whether any swifts are actually present (doubt they'd notice - I only need to crack open the box in the dark loft a tiny bit to check what's inside).
On a day with poor weather for swifts, I despaired of ever getting a view of the chick and eggs in camera nestbox #4, but was lucky to get a video recording with the adult off the nest (maybe because of the noise I was making with my ladder checking adjacent #3), so still 1 chick and 2 unhatched eggs in #4. Even the British Trust for Ornithology nest-recording website is casting suspicion on my record of a chick hatching so early - but I've got camera evidence of when the eggs were laid, and the chick hatching yesterday.
2020-Jun-5 A quick afternoon check of the swift nests where more eggs were possible: now 2 eggs in #2, 1 good egg in #sb2 to add to the broken one seen 2 days ago, and no increase in #3 (2 eggs) or #g4 (1 egg).
At least one egg in camera nestbox #4 has hatched. The earliest I spotted it on recorded video was at 20:25. I've managed also to see the empty eggshell, and 1 unhatched egg, but the adult swifts being in the way mean that I can't be sure whether 1 or 2 of the 3 eggs have hatched so far. As it's still 4 days earlier than I'd expected hatching (my 'standard' 19 days since last egg), I might not have noticed at all, but I checked 'sound detected' videos as far less of them than 'motion detected' - they usual detect the noise of an adult entering the nestbox. An adult came in with its throat-pouch full of food, meaning there was probably a chick to feed, so I then looked at the motion-detected videos at around that time. The early hatching is probably explained by by the month of May being so hot, and breaking records for hours of sunshine.
2020-Jun-3 I checked box #2 (easy, from a window) this morning, and saw a first egg (not there yesterday). This prompted me to check all the other accessible boxes, which showed quite a lot more eggs (see the data table). Now 2 eggs in nestbox #3 (a 3rd egg still possible); complete clutches of 3 eggs in #5, #g1, #g3, and #g6 (more eggs still possible in #5, but I've never seen more than 3); a first egg in #g4.
In filling in the predictions in the table for hatching and fledging, I realise that I can infer quite a lot from egg-dates, even when some not known. From previous observations, I assume that eggs are laid in the morning by a swift that hasn't yet left that day, so if no swifts are present, there will be no more eggs that day. I assume that eggs are laid 2 days apart (I've seen 3 days very occasionally, but never 1 day), so if more than 2 or 3 days have passed since the last egg, then there will be no more. And I assume that there won't be more than 3 eggs - I read that 4 is occasionally possible, but I've yet to observe it.
In addition, I managed to see an adult swift in the loft roofspace near entrance #w1r - it's probably incubating eggs, but too difficult to see. In 'starling box' #sb1, there is a single broken swift egg which wasn't there a few days ago (a pair of adults are still coming and going).
So once again, 4 out of 6 gable-end boxes are in use. Will the swifts ever start using #g2 and #g5, each the 'middle one' of a row of 3. I continue to wonder if their ability to recognise a 'middle one' isn't as good as an 'end one'?
2020-May-31 At 20:22 last night, a 3rd swift entered nestbox #1, with two already there. A struggle ensued, just between two of them as far as I could see. Things look calm this morning, with just two swifts visible. As far as I can see on the video, one of the fighting pair 'escaped' at 01:42 this morning.
2020-May-28 The pair of swifts in nestbox #1 did indeed stay overnight. In a quick check of all accessible nestboxes, the new information (as in table above) is: 0 eggs yet in #2, #3, or #5; 1 egg in #g1; a pair of adults in #sb2 (probably for a while, but I've only seen one before); and was unable to check for eggs in the other non-camera boxes because adult swifts were in the way.
2020-May-27 I'm feeling that I keep writing the same thing about nestbox #1, but at 21:23 a second swift entered, joining one that had been in for the night since 19:53. It was already fairly dark by 21:23, so fairly certain that there will finally be a pair overnight.
Yesterday, and today, it was clear that there were now 'prospecting' swifts around. Lots of interest in 'brick-sized' box #b1, including one swift coming to ground today after two of them grappled after arriving at the box at the same time (it took to the air again with no problem). A sparrow nesting in adjacent box #b2 was also trying to harrass the swifts.
2020-May-26 Once again there was only a single swift in nestbox #1 last night, but at 07:21 this morning, two entered. And once again, just a single one at night.
2020-May-25 As far as I know from the video recordings, there has only been a single swift in nestbox #1 since the brief appearance of a second one 3 days ago, but at 11:26 today, a pair entered. Will both stay around this time? At 11:50, a third swift briefly clung to the entrance, causing screaming from the pair inside. After 40 minutes or so inside, the pair left.
2020-May-22 The single swift in nestbox #1 had been out since early this morning, but at 17:27 a pair entered. Who knows whether a late-arriving mate, or a new bird? The pair stayed for about 80 minutes before going out again. They had another period at the nest, but only one returned to spend the night. I expect the other will be back tomorrow.
2020-May-21 The pair of swifts in nestbox #4 have produced a 3rd egg (first seen on camera at 13:31, but the adults were in the way all morning). I checked the other accessible boxes: there were a pair of swifts in #5, but no eggs; there were 2 eggs in #g3 (which weren't there on 2020-May-17); I wasn't able to see whether there are more eggs in #g6, as the pair of birds blocked the view. In the loft, there was a swift in the roofspace close to soffit-entrance #w1r - I couldn't see clearly, but perhaps the nest is there, rather than in the soffit. No new birds or eggs anywhere else.
2020-May-19 A second egg in camera-nestbox #4, first sighted at 10:53 though of course could have been earlier, as the birds were in the way (for some reason, even after egg-laying, they haven't been out much today).
2020-May-17 The pair of swifts in camera-nestbox #4 stayed in this morning - I wondered whether there was to be the first egg. Sure enough, I spotted the egg at 09:36.
I decided to look in all the other accessible non-camera boxes (10 of them) - it was around 11:00 when adult swifts were unlikely to be present, and if they were laying an egg today, they'd probably have done so. There was a single egg in gable nestbox #g6. In 'starling box' #sb2, I'd cleared out last year's 'swift nest on top of starling nest', so starting with an empty box, this year's swifts (I'm guessing a pair, and not just one) have made a neat circle of grass and feathers. There were some feathers in #g2, but I forget whether they were there from last year (this box hasn't yet been used for breeding). There is some dry grass in #g5 - not in the nest-concave, but again I forget whether this was already there (likely the work of sparrows). There was a single swift in nestbox #5 (I'd seen a swift going in here). Sparrows are currently nesting in brick-sized nestbox #b2, which swifts have previously shown interest in - I don't think the adjacent #b1 is occupied. The single swift in camera-nestbox #1 for 8 days now is bringing in nesting material, and adding it to the nest.
2020-May-10 There has been a huge contrast between the weather yesterday and today: yesterday it was sunny, with still air, and temperatures well above 20C; today started as yesterday, but around 09:00 turned cold and windy, with some rain - maximum temperature around 13C this morning, and falling since. The 3 swifts on the 2 video cameras haven't ventured out all day, and I won't be standing outside watching swifts in the evening.
2020-May-9 An early-morning arrival in the second camera nestbox (#1), with the first swift this season arriving at 05:37.
2020-May-8 At 19:59, a swift entered soffit nest-space #w1r - as seems the usual at the moment, it was pursued by a starling, which then hangs onto the entrance, but can't do anything.
At 20:14, a second swift joined one already in nestbox #4, so that's the first pair confirmed on one of the two video cameras.
2020-May-7 The same as two evenings ago, a swift entered nestbox #5 at 20:56 in semi-darkness, after several approaches had been thwarted by the starlings.
I checked inside some of the 4 starling nestboxes in the garden today. It turns out that breeding starlings are only occupying one of them (they used 3 last year). So with only one breeding pair of starlings in the garden, they're fighting a losing battle to keep swifts away, but that's their instinct. With the number of swifts which now nest here, I'm not bothered about starlings (indeed I like having starlings), but it must be annoying for anyone trying to attract swifts for the first time if starlings make it difficult for them.
2020-May-6 This morning, seconds apart, one swift entered gable entrance #g6 and the other #g5. Did they 'intend' to go into the same one, but haven't quite learned the position yet? In the few years since these were installed (see here for the layout) the swifts haven't so far bred in the 'middle one' of the two groups of 3, i.e. #g2 and #g5. Is it just that they prefer to be spaced out a bit, or could they be better at recognising 'the end one', 'the highest one', etc. rather than 'the middle one'? I won't record these in the 'table of dates' until confirmed - I know when swifts first investigated these, they entered all of them many times before settling on one to breed in.
At 18:48, I saw a swift enter 'starling' box #sb2 (no starlings in that one), which swifts have occupied for breeding in the last few years.
2020-May-5 At 09:18 a swift entered nestbox #2 - one of the starlings nesting nearby, with young due to fledge soon, attempted to harass the swift as it entered the box.
As it went dark, I watched the swift/starling battle, with 2 (maybe 3) starlings standing guard near their own nests and taking flight whenever swifts made an approach-run to see them off. Still, I saw a swift gain entrance to nestbox #2, also #4 (as seen earlier). Another swift was trying to enter #5, but each time it was chased off by the starlings, it just circled high above, presumably still feeding, until at 20:56, in semi-darkness, it entered the nestbox without the attention of the starlings. One starling was still looking out of the hole in its own nestbox, but maybe it couldn't see the swift any more. I've seen in previous seasons that the swifts still manage precision flying into nestboxes with, at least to my eyes, very little light.
2020-May-4 A first swift arrived in nestbox #4 on camera at 17:08 today. It left again at 17:49, but retuned to spend the night. No birds yet in nestbox #1, also with camera, but there might be birds I haven't yet seen in other nest-spaces.
2020-April-24 Today, I cleaned the various swift nestboxes - not thoroughly, but at least cleaning camera lenses, removing spider-webs, and removing droppings and other debris. Two of the boxes had sparrow nesting material from last year (swifts used them as well), so I cleared out the sparrow 'haystacks'. So far, sparrows haven't tried to use the boxes in 2020.
For two years now, swifts have raised young in a 'starling box' (#sb2) despite it seeming inappropriate for swifts. This year, I've left all 4 starling boxes in the garden in place over winter, and starlings are currently nesting in 3 of them, but not in #sb2, so if swifts return to that box, there should be no conflict. The starlings are in #sb4, which is above #sb2 on the same wall. I did see swifts enter #sb4 a few times in 2019, so will I have swifts in more than one 'starling' box in 2020?
2020-April-23 I have just been updating the web pages ready for the 2020 season.
The two video cameras are not yet online for the 2020 season (link to live video above).
This is nestbox #1 in which swifts raised young for the first time in 2012.
In 2013 (with a camera in the box for the first time) they raised 3 chicks; 2 in 2014; 3 in 2015; 2 in 2016; 1 in 2017; 2 in 2018; and 3 in 2019.
The dates of arrival of the first swift in this box were: 2013 May 6th evening; 2014 May 5th evening; 2015 May 5th evening; 2016 May 4th afternoon; 2017 May 6th midday; 2018 May 7th afternoon; 2019 May 7th afternoon; 2020 May 9th morning.
This is nestbox #4 in which swifts raised young for the first time in 2014 (with a camera in the box).
2 chicks were raised in 2014; 3 in 2015; 2 in 2016; 3 in 2017; 2 in 2018; and 1 in 2019.
The dates of arrival of the first swift in this box were: 2014 May 7th evening; 2015 May 4th evening; 2016 May 5th evening; 2017 May 5th evening; 2018 May 18th morning; 2019 May 15th afternoon; 2020 May 4th afternoon.