Author Archives: nevilletodd

Friday 3rd July 2020

Another cool windy day with heavy rain this afternoon. In the garden all day but saw no flying swifts. Tonight when it rained hard they all retired to the nest. Both nests look a bit full.

Five swifts cuddled up in the bedroom nest.
Four swifts snuggled together in the chimney nest.

Thursday 2nd July 2020

Another overcast day. A little rain and fairly cool. Nothing much I’d changing. One nice clip showing the smallest chick in the bedroom nest stretching his wings. That chick has been the smallest all the way through. Lovely to see it showing signs of a maturing swift. The other clip shows a returning adult in the chimney nest.

Smallest chick in the bedroom stretching its wings.
Parent returning to chimney nest.

Wednesday 1st July 2020

Overcast, windy and cool today. Brightened up this afternoon. All five chicks doing well. Even the small one in the bedroom nest. Two clips today. The first from this morning when adult returned to the bedroom nest without food. Flew off 5 seconds later. The second shows a chick from the chimney nest leaving the nest to stretch wings.

Adult returning to bedroom nest this morning with no food.
Chick from chimney nest leaving the nest to stretch its wings.

Tuesday 30th June 2020

Another cool and overcast day. Not much to add. No flying swifts seen. Two clips. First showing chick in bedroom nest stretching and flapping wings. Second clip just showing the pair in chimney nest.

Wing stretching and flapping in bedroom nest.
The pair in the chimney nest.

Monday 29th June 2020

Sorry I missed yesterday. Not much else has happened. Remains overcast cold windy with showers. Not much food to be had. All the chicks are staying in the nest cuddled up together. Adults out most of the day. Heavy rain forecast for tomorrow. If there is no food the chicks can go into torpor. a state of reduced metabolic rate until more food is available. Two clips. Another adult in the bedroom nest getting bombed by the chicks arriving with little or no food and the two quiet chicks in the chimney nest.

Adult returning to bedroom nest.
Two quiet chicks in chimney nest.

Saturday 27th June 2020

Much cooler today and rain on and off. Adults gone for long times and chicks snuggling up. Just one clip today showing what the adults with not much food have to put up with on returning to the nest. Bedroom nest tonight.

Adult swift overwhelmed on returning to bedroom nest.

Thursday 25th June 2020

Busy day swift wise. Up to 6 swifts either screaming round the house or flying higher in the neighbourhood. Chicks in the bedroom nest have been wandering about in the attic. Last of the hot muggy days. Thunder forecast for tonight but we always seem to miss the rain and have to continue to water the plants. Rain water is so much better for them. A couple of clips from the bedroom nest showing the extent of their wandering.

Wandering chicks in the bedroom nest.
More wandering chicks in the bedroom nest. parent ignoring them.

Wednesday 24th June 2020

Wonderful swift day. Hot sunny and humid. Perfect swift weather. Most of the day had up to 6 swifts screaming round the house. The chicks stayed still in the nest this morning but this afternoon were wandering all over the attic. Was expecting the need for a rescue but they now seem to be able to return to the nest by themselves. First clip shows the three in the bedroom nest with one staring out to the big world outside. The second clip shows a side view of one of the chicks in the chimney nest looking very much like a small adult swift. The third shows the two in the chimney nest behaving when mum or dad returns.

Bedroom nest 3 with one staring into the world beyond.
Side view of adult looking chick in chimney nest.
Chimney nest pair behaving for parent.

Tuesday 23rd June 2020

Very hot today and no wind as predicted. It’s 8.30pm and I am sat in our conservatory with 6 swifts screaming round the house with a few very low screaming passes. A joy to watch. Was a bit concerned earlier to find only the smallest chick in the bedroom nest. The other two had gone walk about. Was quite concerned but decided to wait til the end of the afternoon corona virus briefing to find they had found some of the way back. Now all three on the nest. I think it gets a bit too hot for them. A clip to show how far they had ventured then a clip of the pair in the chimney nest

Adventurous chicks in the bedroom nest.
The pair in the chimney nest.