Our young swift finally fledged sometime during the day on the 18th August. During the three nights previous to this, the 15th, 16th and 17th it was accompanied at roost by one parent only. Then on the nights of the 18th and 19th August a single adult returned to roost but there was no further sign of the juvenile. So that's it folks until next year hopefully! Thank you for visiting, we hope to see you and our swifts again next May.

 

 

 

 Our young swift and the parents are still with us but it won’t be long before they all depart. Here is a video taken this morning of the youngster doing it’s press ups ready for the big launch.

 Here’s the latest video of our young swift, looking very well and finding the view from the entrance interesting. Won’t be long before he/she fledges now! There have been no further flyby’s by prospecting parties so it looks like our little family is all alone now.

 

 

 Here’s the lastest video of our young swift in Box 3. And at last we’ve also had a group of up to five swifts prospecting around the house…but none have entered the boxes as yet. Let's hope some like what they see!

Here’s the latest video of our single swift chick. It seems to be coming on well now. Still no takers for any of the other boxes, in fact not even any prospectors around here at all, If none return next year I  onder if this will be our last year? 

The egg which was out of the nest has disappeared. But we now have a chick which arrived some time this morning;  here is a video of it with the parent which has just come in. Parent seems more interested in grooming the youngster despite it begging for food, but eventually it does give it something, although not much by the looks of it. 

It’s bad news, unfortunately one of the eggs has rolled…or been thrown out, of the nest. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This happened a few days ago and we’ve been unable to get it back into the nest as one of the adults is there all the time. We know there were two eggs in the nest – could this be a third one? We’ve been unable to see the remaining eggs in the nest as yet due to the incubating parent. So here’s hoping that there are still two eggs which should hopefully be hatching shortly.

Our swift pair in Box 3 now have two eggs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We don’t know the exact date they were laid as we were away visiting family in Scotland, but the pair are busy incubating. Sadly no other swifts in any of the other boxes as yet. A sparrow did take over box 6 and start nest building but it seems to have abandoned it.

Our single swift roosted alone in Box 3 as usual last night but the surprise came first thing this morning when it was joined by another. So we now have a pair in Box 3 again, hooray!

 Well…back to square one after the initial excitement. After having the second bird in Box 3 overnight and the pair seeming happy together, it disappeared the next day never to return. (Steve thinks it may have been taken by a hobby). We still have the single bird in Box 3 and it has been adding to the nest all this time so there’s quite a nice cup there now, ready for when… and if it gets a new partner.

Very pleased to say that this morning the single bird in Box 3 was joined by a mate, hooray! They seem very happy and have settled in nicely. 

 Just a quick update to say that there’s nothing to update yet. We still have the one swift roosting in Box 3 but to date no more have turned up and we have seen very few, in fact hardly any at all, in the area. But we live in hope and we are not alone, others have reported late swifts too. This has happened before - apparently in 1951 the main body of swifts didn’t arrive until between the 15th May and June 8th….

Hooray! Cley Swifts in action again this year, with the return of one of the pair from Box 3 yesterday evening, that is the 7th May. Last year the first one came back to Box 3 on the 4th May, (as did a single bird to Box 1), so 3 days late this year. 

Hopefully its mate will join it shortly, but looking back to last year their two partners apparently didn’t turn up and Box 1 and Box 3 eventually got together in Box 3 and left Box 1 empty. Then on 23rd May a third bird turned up and went into Box 1 and then on the morning of the 26th May a second bird joined it. 

Last year the pair in Box 1 laid eggs which we had to keep replacing in the nest but they were abandoned so no chicks...we think this pair were young birds. The pair in Box 3 didn’t lay at all, the first time since we started getting swifts that we haven’t had any youngsters. We hope we shall have better luck with them this year. Here is the single bird in Box 3 last night: