Swift Half SWIFTS update - 12th July 2011

• A little less than three weeks left for our wee swiftlies now (in the nest) - very possibly more like two weeks.
• Both nestlings are looking very "adult" now (or at least juvenile - with pale faces) with smooth heads and primaries very obvious.
• Both nestlings are exercising their wings vigorously from time to time - I've just uploaded clip number forty-four onto the main website - a clip which you can see the youngest chick (a little older than three weeks from hatching) vigorously exercise its wings on top of its elder sibling!
• Both parents are still regularly returning to the nest with swollen throats full of midges for their prodigy  -  they seem to drop a feed off every hour on average - depending on the availability of prey of course.
• The weather here is still warm and relatively dry (all change again I hear this weekend), so both our nestlings are growing at an alarming rate still.
• There certainly is less and less room in the nest space overnight - all four birds cram into the tight spot from about 2130hrs BST until about 0730hrs BST when the first adult leaves to see if any flies are up and about in the air.
• Of course, for the next two or so weeks, the space in the nest will become VERY tight - as the chicks become virtually fully grown.