See the main page for notes, photos, and diaries for other years.
You can view live video here from some of the nestboxes (not guaranteed always online, but I try
to keep it running).
Here is a page with some explanation of how I do the video.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1 | ||||||||||
| 2025 | #3 | ≤May-8 | ? | May-24/25 | May-27 | May-29 | Jun-17 | Jul-29 | |||
| 2025 | #4 | May-11 | |||||||||
| 2025 | #5 | ≤May-12 | |||||||||
| 2025 | #g1 | ≤May-7 | ? | ≤May-19 | ≤May-21 | - | x | May-26/28 Both eggs thrown out. | |||
| 2025 | #g1a | ? | ? | Jun-4 pair at nest. | |||||||
| 2025 | #g2 | ≤May-11 | ? | ≤May-19 | ≤May-21 | - | x | May-26 both eggs out of nest and look dead. | |||
| 2025 | #g2a | ? | ? | Jun-3 | Jun-5 | Jun-4 new egg, two dead eggs from earlier out of nest. | |||||
| 2025 | #g3 | ≤May-21 | ≤May-21 | ≤May-17 | ≤May-19 | ≤May-21 | Jun-3/4 | Jul-15/16 | |||
| 2025 | #g4 | ≤May-11 | ? | ≤May-17 | ≤May-19 | ≤May-21 | ≤Jun-9 | ≤Jul-21 | May-26 1 egg out of nest and looks dead. | ||
| 2025 | #g5 | ? | ? | ≤May-21 | May-23 single egg gone. | ||||||
| 2025 | #g6 | ≤Apr-29 | ? | May-28 | May-30/31 | - | Jun-18/19 | Jul-30/31 | - | ||
| 2025 | #sb1 | May-23/27 | Nest previously contained starling young. | ||||||||
| 2025 | #sb3 | ≤May-19 | ≤May-19 | ||||||||
| 2025 | #sb4 | ≤May-7 | ≤May-10 | May-22/28 | |||||||
| Year | Nest | Adult1 | Adult2 | Egg1 | Egg2 | Egg3 | Hatch | Fledge1 | Fledge2 | Fledge3 | Comments |
Predicted dates above based on the average for previous nests with camera: last egg to hatching 19 days; hatching to first fledging 42 days.
2025-Jun-5 There is a 2nd egg in nest #g2a.
2025-Jun-4 I'm starting nest #g1a, as there are a pair of swifts present (can't see if eggs yet). There is a new egg in nestbox #g2 (two old ones out of nest) - calling this nest #g2a. The 3 eggs in nestbox #g3 have hatched - must have been yesterday or today. The two live eggs in nestbox #g4 haven't yet hatched.
2025-Jun-2 Finally able to see that there are two eggs in nestbox #g6.
2025-Jun-1 This morning, I saw a swift enter 'brick-sized' nestbox #sb2. No new developments elsewhere. I'm still uncertain of number of eggs in #g6, as a sitting swift has blocked the view since I saw one egg on 29-May. And I haven't inspected #sb4 so don't know number of eggs since one seen on 28-May.
2025-May-29 There is a third egg in nestbox #3.
2025-May-28 There is a first egg in nestbox #g6. In #g2, a swift was sitting - the two dead eggs still out of the nest cup - could there be a new egg (later: no)? The 2nd egg has been thrown out of #g1. There is at least one swift egg in 'starling' nestbox #sb4 (adult swift sitting).
2025-May-27 There is a swift looking out of 'starling' nestbox #sb1, which as of May-22 contained 4 recently hatched starlings. There is a second egg in nestbox #3.
2025-May-26 There is a first swift egg in nestbox #3 (I heard a pair calling from there this morning).
Results of inspection of gable-end nests:
#g1 One egg thrown outside, and the other (looks dead) not in nest cup.
#g2 Two eggs not in nest cup - both look dead.
#g3 Adult swift sitting - no reason to think previous 3 eggs not still there.
#g4 Two live eggs in nest cup, and 1 dead not in nest cup.
#g5 & #g6 No eggs.
I knew that one was supposed to be able to tell whether an egg was 'live' by shining a light through it, but I didn't know what you were supposed to see. Trying this today, the 2 eggs still in the nest in #g4 showed a network of blood vessels, while the one out of the nest showed nothing. So now I know. The observations today are compatible with eggs previously replaced in nests being dead, and the swifts having removed them again.
2025-May-23 In the gable-end nestboxes: still 2 eggs in #g1; 2 eggs replaced in nest in #g2; adult sitting in #g3; 1 of 3 eggs replaced in nest in #g4; single egg previously in #g5 has disappeared.
2025-May-21 After spending two nights there, the single swift didn't appear in cameras nestbox #4 last night.
Inspected all the nestboxes: earlier then I expected this season, but there are already swift eggs in most of the gable-end nestboxes, 2 eggs in #g1, 2 in #g2, 3 in #g3, 3 in #g4, 1 in #g5, and no eggs in #g6. No eggs anywhere else, but there is an active starling nest in nestbox #sb1, with 3 young chicks and an unhatched egg.
2025-May-19 A swift spent last night in camera nestbox #4 - the first visit there since a week ago.
This afternoon, two swifts entered 'starling' nestbox #sb3 - likely not for the first time this season.
2025-May-15 There have been no further visits by swifts to camera nestbox #4 since two days ago. After two nights absence, the solitary roosting Great Tit was back in nestbox #1 last night.
2025-May-13 After its overnight stay the previous night, the swift in camera nestbox #4 didn't stay last night, but continues (one assumes it's the same bird) to visit for an hour or two at a time. After coming into camera nestbox #1 to roost overnight for around 4 weeks, the solitary Great Tit didn't appear last night.
2025-May-12 This morning, a swift was looking out of nestbox #5.
2025-May-11 This morning, a swift was looking out of nestbox #g2, and one was seen entering #g4.
At 20:06, a swift entered camera nestbox #4 and stayed overnight.
2025-May-10 Now definitely a pair of swifts in 'starling' box #sb4.
2025-May-8 A swift entered nestbox #3 this morning.
2025-May-7 By now there are more swifts in the area - I saw a group of 7 near the house earlier today. This morning, I twice saw a swift enter 'starling' box #sb4, and a swift enter nestbox #g1. Nothing yet in the two nestboxes with camera, but the solitary Great Tit continues to roost in nestbox #1 overnight.
2025-Apr-30 I sighted the first swift of the season yesterday evening, and after circling it entered nestbox #g6. This is the earliest in the year I have seen a swift arrive, by a few days, but of course the nestboxes aren't closely monitored, apart from the two with cameras.
2025-Apr-24 The roosting Great Tit continues to spend the night in camera nestbox #1 - that's for over 10 nights now.
2025-Apr-14 Since getting the video cameras running again (just for me at the moment - not online), I've observed that a single Great Tit (Parus major) is roosting in nestbox #1 overnight. No sign of it thinking of nesting there so far.
2025-Apr-12 Getting ready for a new season. No swifts sighted yet.
The two video cameras are not yet online for the 2025 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; 3 in 2019; 1 in 2020; 2 in 2021; 3 in 2022; and 2 in 2023. Swifts didn't nest here in 2024.
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; 2021 May 7th afternoon; 2022 May 8th evening; 2023 May 7th morning; 2024 May 7th evening (but no nesting).
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; 1 in 2019; 3 in 2020; 3 in 2021; 3 in 2022; none in 2023. Swifts didn't nest here in 2024.
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; 2021 May 9th evening; 2022 May 10th morning; 2023 May 7th afternoon; 2024 June 26th (but no nesting); 2025 May 11th.