Swift Half SWIFTS update - 10th May 2011

• As described below, our pair laid their first egg yesterday morning (whilst I had the DVD recorder turned off!) This is a whole ten days earlier than last year.
• The mating of the night before clearly did the trick!
• The sixteenth video I've uploaded to my images site shows the singular egg at the back right of the nest space, about 10 hours after it was laid as the pair come back to the nest to roost again.
• Swifts tend to lay one egg every other day, to produce a maximum clutch (generally) of 2-3 eggs only. This is rather like birds of prey, rather than, say, blue tits, which lay pretty well all dozen (or so) of their eggs over a day or two. They brood each egg at night right away also, unlike many other small birds.
• Swifts (and birds of prey) therefore hatch their eggs on different days, producing different sized young - a clear survival mechanism just in case food supply dwindles whilst chicks are still being fed in the nest.
• The clip shows both adults entering the nest space at about 2030hrs to roost. The female enters first and the male enters shortly afterwards - and tries to spend the first couple of minutes in the nest, mating with his hen. She seems to be having none of it though - does not present her cloaca to him - and instead screams her indignation at the poor chap.
• Its as if she is shouting at him to "BE CAREFUL YOU MUPPET!!!" "THERE'S A FRAGILE EGG IN HERE!"
• I write this on 10th May at around 1630hrs - both adults (and one egg still) are in the nest - and have mated a few minutes ago.
• Odds on another egg being laid around 0900hrs tomorrow morning - and this time I'll be recording!