- 22 July
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
- 21 July: Much rain during the day. The birds arrive back at the nest late in the evening.
During the day no swifts can be seen in the air. It is as if all the birds have gone away and are enjoying their time in more sunny and less rainy regions.
The real swift observer knows better however: swifts are very much attached to their nesting site once they have found one. They are back by night, whether they have eggs or young or not.
When screaming parties do their fly-bye's, they defend their nest when they have egg or young. Otherwise they join the screaming parties, probably indicating their ownership at the same time ('it's nice, isn't it?').
In all the years we have looked at swifts in nests through camera's, we have never seen nests abandoned at night.
Swifts leaving their nest in bad weather is probably on of the fables around swifts.
Probably one or two swifts may have been found far for their nests during summer, they sometimes might get surprised by acute bad weather conditions.
However, the tale of adult or nest-occupying swifts leaving their nests tot follow the good weather is one for the fable newspaper.
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- 20 July: in the morning a short sunny spell; the birds were out of the box earlier than the previous days. Also immediately a group of about 15 screaming birds high in the air, flying in circles. It sounded almost like Summer. Further heavy rains during the day. The birds are back late at dusk.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
- 19 July: Much rain during the day. The birds arrive back at night.
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- 18 July
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- 17 July: early return (it's all grey wheather outside)
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- 16 July
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- 15 July: an early rise today (for a change it was clear and bright wheather in the early morning)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
- 14 July: the weather is improving. Both birds occasionally on the nest during the morning, bringing some small feathers for the nest.
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- 13 July
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- 12 July
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- 11 July
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- 10 July: It rained for prolonged periods of time during the last days. The birds are staying indoors in the morning, and don not return until late in the evening. No screaming parties about the house anymore.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
- 9 July
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- 8 July
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- 7 July
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- 6 July
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- 5 July
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
- 4 July
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- 3 July: Today the last of the straw pieces in the box were brought inside the nest and glued together.
Today, the swifts did not visit their nest at all.
At 21.15 h about 50 swifts were flying above our house; 'our' birds might have joined them as they were not inside the nest box.
A little later, at 21.36 h, the first returned, followed by number 2 ('Streep') a little later at 21.40 h.
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- 2 July: early to rise; frequent visits of the nest.
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- 1 July:
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Juni
- 30 juni: some visits during the day.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
- 29 juni: some visits during the day.
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- 28 juni: much and prolonged rainfall; no visits during the day.
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- 27 juni: the birds were again highly active in building their nest. Now and again they enter with feathers in their beak which are immediately glued to the outer ring of the nest, thereby hightening and extending it.
It's funny to see that the birds are gathering the little straws that I first put in the nest in spring, and which they shovelled out during their first entrances. Now, one by one, they are built into the edge of the nest.
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- 26 juni: much building activity, but no eggs.
- 22 juni: probable attempt to mate inside the nestbox around 22.30 h
Cuddling Mating?
- 9 juni: Yes! Between 18.45 and 19.45 h two birds were sitting inside the nestbox. Again only one bird during the night.
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- 8 juni: Only one bird stays in the nest. But there were two flying around together. Where is the other one?
Video of seperate stills Video of seperate stills Album of stills
The second chamber (floor) is visited by a swift at 19.36 h. This is a different bird than that of the lower chamber (with its white smear on the head). At 20.12 h it leaves, to return again at 20.24 h. Left at 20.34 h and returned at 20.36 h to stay for the night. Both chambers are occupied. Both birds scream to eachother.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest during the whole hour : 2 or 1 bird(s) on the nest part of the time
Video of bird on the second floor
- 7 june: the first bird enters the nestbox in the lower chamber (first floor)
Video of first entrance