Swift Half SWIFT update - 25th July 2010

• This (unique, I hope) SWIFT update post should put you in the picture re our family of swifts, which we (and you?) have been watching all summer, until that rather untimely computer incident on the 16th July here, put pay to any live web feed of our growing family.
• On the 18th July 2010, the eldest of the swift chicks fledged. We haven't seen this chick again, since this date. From the 18th (night) there were 2 adults roosting in the nest, and the youngest chick.
• The youngest chick, between the 18th and 22nd July, was left alone for very long periods during the day. The parents would come back with food, but not as often as before. This growing (and sole, now) chick would spend the majority of its day, stretching its perfect little wings, fanning its tail, and preparing itself for the big off. We expected this to happen every day after the 18th.... but:
• The second and last chick to fledge didn't do so until the 22nd July. We've not seen this chick since either. On that day, there were a series of ALMIGHTY thunderstorms round here, and south England - what a day to fledge! I hope the little chap (chappess) avoided all the storms - or its first day out of the nest would have been its last. I would like to think he/she would have avoided these very heavy but very localised downpours (and lightning bolts) just fine.
• Since the night of the 22nd July, I haven't seen the two fledglings, but BOTH parents still return to the roof space each night to roost together. There's something quite endearing about that I think - I felt sure that once the young had gone, the adults would to. NOT so. I can't speak for tonight yet (obviously) but last night, both parents were roosting overnight in the roof again - reserving strength for the big push back to sub-Saharan Africa I suppose.
• When will they ALL go? When will the nest be empty until next year? Who can tell. I would fully expect though to have both parents (and chicks, wherever they are) to migrate down to the SW of England first (Devon/Cornwall) in August and then once their reserves had been built up, fly over the channel, over continental Europe, over Gibraltar, over N.Africa, over the Sahara and back to sub Saharan Africa - arriving there, mid September at the latest (if they make it at all). Anna and I are on holiday in early August - I expect our adults will start the push south (and not roost in the roof) about that time.
• NB. In case you've forgotten - (for both young fledglings this year) - they spent 2 or so months in our roof - in a nest space about the size of a shoe box. When they launched into the air for the first time (18th for Swift a, 22nd July for Swift b) the change to their life was absolutely IMMENSE. Both of the young swifts would have had to taken flight (and not landed in error) immediately - they wouldn't have the capacity like all other birds, to take a short training first flight and land on a nearby wall, fence or tree. Fly they did, or die they would. Completely and utterly unique amongst ALL birds.
• Each new flying swift would have to immediately rely on instinct and other surrounding swifts, to fly higher and higher at dusk, and rely on sleeping on the wing, rather than what they'd been used to for the first two months of their lives, sleeping in the nest with three others to keep them warm. Another IMMENSE change.
• Each new flying swift would have had to rely on instinct (purely) to immediately start hunting for itself. If it didn't start to catch food for itself, it wouldn't even last a day. Another IMMENSE achievement.
• Both of our our swifts will now have to fly to sub Saharan Africa in August (not landing once) spend the winter there (no landing) and fly back to this part of the world in April next year (no landing still). If one of our fledged chicks was a female - there's a chance she might breed in her mother's nest (our roof) next year (only if her mother doesn't return though - swifts return year after year not only to the same locality, but to the same NEST!) If the nest that she was born in this year is already taken, our 1 year old female will have to find another - and then finally land (touch down) for the first time in May next year. NINE MONTHS after she left our roof this year and she's been to south Africa and back in that time, and not stopped flying AT ALL during those months. Incredible eh, but not as incredible as the case if any of our swift fledglings this year were male....
• IF any of our little swifts that fledged this year are male, they will face all the tests immediately that any young female will face, and they will return here next May. But. Chances are they will not breed in their first year and spend the summer here, screaming around in "raiding parties", and perhaps (most probably in fact) not land at all here next year. It will be 21 (TWENTY ONE) months before any of the young male chicks that fledged this year, land again here or land anywhere for that matter - in those twenty one months, they will have not stopped flying ONCE, not landed once, and been to sub Saharan Africa and back TWICE.
• I hope you appreciate just how incredible these birds are. They may not be as pretty as Swallows for example, not as clever as Jays, not as majestic as eagles, not as pretty as kingfishers, but in my opinion - they beat ALL these birds. There's nothing like swifts, nothing at all, and I feel very humbled and very privileged to have seen the intimate life in nest of our young family this year. I hope you've enjoyed the footage I managed to pump through live on the web. Apologies again for the issues during the chick's last week.
• Good news is I have managed to record some lovely footage (with sound) of the Swifts last week via video. The parents feeding the last chick, amazing footage of the last chick preparing itself for its massive first flight, and the last few roosts. All very good quality (much better than the web feed). I will look to turn this footage into a DVD in the next two months and post the short clips on this website, so you'll not have missed anything after all -just need a few months to get that stuff onto DVD.
• Anyhoo - thats our swifts. The "Swift Half" swifts. First one arrived April 23rd. Last chick to fledge went July 22nd. Almost exactly three months. As I write this, I expect both parents will roost together in the nest again tonight. That will stop soon though. I'll let you know.
• Thanks very much for bothering to be a little interested in my favourite birds of all. They need YOUR help. Please visit all the Swift sites I've linked to on this blog, and in february next year, pop a swift box up under your eves. Go on....! TBR.