Sorry for gap but have been away for a week in caravan. For a change was watching stonechats, whitethroats and skylarks. Now back home and think there may be 2 eggs in the nest now. One swift is on the nest almost constantly now so I will not be able to check it out in person but if you look closely to the first video, on the left hand side it looks like 2 eggs present. Not sure what this means. Checking reports around the country most swifts have hatched. With an incubation period of 19-27 days and a fledgling period of 27-56 days if this egg hatches it will be at least the last week of August before it fledges. This I think will be very late so not sure what will happen.

Video showing 2 eggs clearly.

A short video showing typical late evening behaviour.

A great day for me. I was doubtful about the possibility of these swifts producing anything but as I am going away for a few days in our caravan and may not have wifi or even phone contact, decided to have a look in the nest early afternoon when the adults have been away. I cant see into the nest so took a video on phone with flash light on. It was a stretch but managed to get this dreadful quality video.

I have been lucky the past couple of years with 2 fledging first year 3 last year but there is one egg this year. Both adults staying over night returning about 18.30 and leaving about 10.00.

Have been out most of the weekend so have just observed early morning and late evening. They are spending a lot of time on the nest, both of them staying over night. I would have hoped that if there were eggs that we might have young in the nest but no signs yet.

Just a short clip showing how they are most of the time in the nest.

A couple of days of lovely weather. Sun, warm and at last not too windy. The swifts are spending a lot of time in the nest. They appear very affectionate with each other. A couple of clips from earlier today.

Another lovely day. They were away when I eventually arose this morning. Came back briefly a couple of times during the day then returned together at about 20.00.they were very active walking around and what appeared like nesting. While they were on the cam in the nest there were 6 flying around the house. Two videos tonight. Firstly showing nesting.

The second one giving good views of both birds.

Not much news on our swift front. They have been seen on the nest more often. Both on the nest last night and both there now.(22.00). The weather has improved significantly. It is calm, warm,sunny and flies everywhere. Two videos tonight. The first just to show both swifts in the nest, the second showing “nesting behaviour”. Unless there are eggs already I still feel its a bit late for this pair to successfully rear young but what do I know?

Spent some time today trolling the internet to find out how the swifts are doing this year. It looks like this is a particularly bad year and my observations are in keeping with others in Oxford, Cambridge and a couple of other places monitoring swifts. The ejection of eggs from the nest as happened in the first nest I was filming has been common this year. I expect the eggs are not viable either because its too cold or because the adults have to spend so much time on the wing feeding due to lack of insects that they do not have the time to keep the eggs warm enough. The first nest that has produced young for the last 2 years I am now sure has been abandoned. Another nest that I can only see from the outside of the house has had very little activity and not seen those swifts for several days. One nest in the attic seems to be active but access is so difficult that I am not sure what is happening. The swifts in the nest I am still filming are not behaving, as I would expect from previous years, as if they have eggs in the nest. At least one of them would be spending more time on the nest.I caught one entering the nest at 21.00 (video below). He or she spent about 15 minutes in the nest then crawled to the eves where I got a couple of flash photos from outside then joined its partner flying and at 22.00 has failed to return.

Video of swift arriving home

A couple of flash photo’s from outside.

Its been a couple of days of unseasonable weather, not what is required by breeding swifts. Heavy rain over last night then a brief lull this morning followed by heavy rain since lunchtime today. Just after my last blog, saying how pleasing it was to see them both in the nest at night, they both left and I guess were out all night. This morning when the weather was okay they were both at home then spent the afternoon in the rain on the wing. One returned at 20.15 and the other joined them at 20.30. At the moment, 22.00 they seem settled down for the night. Caught a nice clip of them together wandering around earlier. The contrast between their total mastery of the air and their less coordinated ground movements is obvious. I believe that for many years they were thought to have no legs. They do have very short legs and can easily land on a wall.

Here is the clip from earlier.

A photo taken at 22.14 tonight showing them together on the nest.

They were both off at the crack of dawn again this morning. Yet again tonight at about 21.40 we had 8 swifts screaming round the house. Was out trying to photograph them and as usual failing (they are so fast) when both flew into the nest together. I am particularly pleased as the last couple of nights have only seen one return to the nest. Here is the evidence.

Its still cold for the time of year. The swifts are off first thing and flying over the house from about 20.30 then into nest about 21.45.

Managed to get a photo while they were flying earlier showing the distinctive shape.

Also this clip from the first one arriving home.