Thursday 30 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 30th June 2011

  • Both chicks are getting big, boisterous and feathery now - and starting to explore the nest space when the adults have left on a "shopping spree".
  • The oldest chick (11 days old - hatched on 19th June remember) today opened its eyes for the first time.
  • Both adults are being set upon by the noisy, whistling chicks, as soon as they enter the nest space with any food!
  • I've just uploaded clip number thirty-seven onto the website, which shows the eldest chick (11 days old) get a feed from one of the parents. The younger chick (10 days old) is out of shot in the clip, under the camera, but no need to worry - its getting fed regularly also - this weather is perfect for our swifts - not too hot, not too wet and plenty of insects around.
  • If you look very carefully, you may just be able to make out that the elder chick's eyes have opened (just) - but lets be frank, these swift nestlings still look pretty grotesque! They'll start to look more cute with a few more adult feathers and properly opened eyes though. I expect the younger chick will open its eyes tomorrow...

Swift Half update - 30th June 2011

  • After the recent mini-heatwave (with temperatures around 30c for two days) its quite nice to have a little bit of settled (merely) warm weather (around 21c) now.
  • My buddleja, cornflowers and evening primrose have done me proud now that the elderflower and honeysuckle are over for the year.
  • I can't remember whether I posted this or not recently, so if I have, please forgive me, but three days ago Anna and I saw our first hummingbird hawkmoth in the garden! It didnt stay long, but what a magnificent sight!
  • Plenty of cockchafers around now also - emerging from the lawn at dusk (just after the hens have taken themselves to bed in the main!)

Monday 27 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 27th June 2011

  • Another very hot day in Berkshire - which meant the chicks were once again very restless in the roof - moving about and panting a lot, in another bid to lose heat.
  • I've just uploaded clip number thirty-six onto the website, showing the female swift feeding the youngest chick a huge gob-full of insects, (I've slowed that part of the clip down to 50% speed again, so the viewer can appreciate the action) followed by the male coming in and feeding the youngest of the two chicks again  - leaving the older chick without a feed this time - which it seems to complain about as the male leaves!
  • I think it'll be cooler for the rest of the week - which will make life in the roof far more bearable for our growing swifts!

Sunday 26 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 26th June 2011

  • I've just uploaded Clip number thirty-five onto the website.
  • Suddenly the Azores high has built, pushing the jetstream a couple of hundred miles north (at least temporarily) and we have a mini-heatwave on our hands.
  • I guess it got up to about 28c today with 30c plus predicted tomorrow - but back down to 21c ish by tuesday I hope.
  • The two nestlings have really suffered today in their very hot nest - the older of the two (back left of the clip) has crawled around the nest space all day in a desperate bid to find some cooler air - and both the chicks and the adults are panting continually in the roof - to try and cool down.
  • As I type this, the older chick (just over a week old now) is actually out-of-shot of the camera - its sitting under tha camera near the entrance tunnel to the nest. It will need to move back to the nest proper tonight though - as it will tend to get ignored where it is at present....

Swift Half update - 26th June 2011

  • A bit of a few days at "Swift Half".... in rocketing temperatures and blue skies.
  • Moths caught in moff trap over the last few days - beautiful hook tip, buff arches, scalloped oak, coronet, yellow tail, the first of this year's buff ermines, old lady, light emerald, magpie, lunar yellow underwing, gothic and dunbar.
  • Drinker moth caterpillar on privy door this afternoon.
  • Hobby chased through garden at around 0800hrs this morning.
  • Anna found a leopard moth on the back door mat the other day - badly injured in the heavy showers (seems like such a long time ago looking at the weather now)! Other than the shocking pink elephant hawk moths, this in my opinion is the second most spectacular moff in the UK. Unfortunately it was dying (it was in a shocking state) but we put it in a tumbler, as she seemed insistent on laying her eggs in her death throes. We'll glue the eggs to a suitable leaf when we get time.
  • Scarlet tiger moths are regular in the garden also now as are big emperor dragonflies flying through.
  • One emperor dragonfly though unfortunately met with Trouble (our black hen) this morning.
  • I was buttering some toast and all hell broke loose in the garden it sounded like.
  • I flung open the door and found the hens chasing each other round the garden, shouting at each other - the lead hen being Trouble with a great big emperor dragonfly in her beak.
  • I therefore joined the chase and rescued said odonate - placing it in the buddleja to recover.
  • Truth be told though  - Trouble's sharp beak had done a bit of damage to the wing muscles of the teneral male emperor (would have become an adult this morning, as he turned blue - an adult male emperor colours during the day) and he'll certainly die in the next few days I think. Shame.
  • Woodmouse appears to be enjoying life in the coop- hoovering up spilled seed from between the hens legs without caring about the clucking hens!

General (County) update - 26th June 2011

  • Been a long time since I've posted one of these, so here goes...
  • A mini heatwave has come over the UK today  -  because at last the Azores high has built and pushed the jetstream a few hundred miles north of middle England - rather than slap bang on top of us, where its been for the past two or three weeks. This has pushed the thermometer up to 28c - maybe 30c and brought out all the exotic fauna it seems - or maybe I'm just seeing it at present.
  • I've found a little owl's nest near our new house (we leave Swift Half in August) - and watched two fo the owls (one young, one parent I think) for a good few minutes this morning.
  • Also saw a rose-ringed parakeet fly by the same field - and a buzzard in a tree at the same place also - maybe I'll not miss "Swift Half" as much as I thought?!
  • The dragonflies are out in force now  - more on that on my "Swift Half" update, as are the moffs (ditto).

Friday 24 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 24th June 2011


  • This is an experimental clip - footage of our nestlings being fed, but slowed down to 50% speed - so the viewer can really appreciate the action.
  • In this clip the female adult enters the nest space with a gob-full of compressed insects for her chicks. She ousts the male from his incubation spot and feeds both chicks. The first chick she feeds is the younger of the two (by a day) and she puts a gurt big "fly biscuit" in that chick's beak. So big is the compressed biscuit of flies, that the chick can't swallow it in one go - nor is its neck strong enough yet to support its head plus a lump of food in its beak. So it takes a little time to work the insects down its throat!
  • In this clip the female does feed the older chick at the back of the nest also. You may notice that the older chick is beginning to look a little greyer than its sibling and a little more speckled, as its first feathers push through the pink skin.She then makes to leave the nest (this is happening very often now - both adults leave the chicks and hunt simultaneously for food for their young - and this will happen more and more now).
  • Unfortunately for our adult female, the adult male is blocking the exit from the nest -and she screams at him to effectively "get out of the way". The audio of this clip is slowed to 50% also, but right at the end of the clip, you'll clearly hear the female scream in a higher pitch than the male, who answers back - albeit at 50% speed, like I've said.

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 21st June 2011

  • The longest day of the year - and both our little swifts (one day old and two days old) are being fed every 45 minutes or so by alternate parents.
  • The process is the same each time - parent A incubates both young (after feeding them) for 45 minutes or so. Parent B meanwhile, is ousted from the nest and goes to collect a throat-full of flies, midges and beetles from the sky. Parent B returns within the hour, ousts parent A from the nestlings (who then sets off on a food search) and feeds the nestlings - then incubates them itself for 45 minutes. Repeat from 5am - 10pm today. Pretty hard work eh?
  • The chicks are hard to make out in these clips at present - but at the rate they seem to be growing even now, they will soon be much easier to see - as will the feeding process.
  • Clip number thirty-two is now on my website, which shows both chicks being fed.

Monday 20 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 20th June 2011

  • Good news (and a little earlier than expected) - our second (and final) swift egg has hatched this afternoon!
  • I think it hatched around 1400hrs today and I've uploaded clip number thirty-one onto my website now which shows a distinct lack of eggs in the nest, the older swift (by a day) getting a mouthful of flies (you may even be able to see the black bolus in its pale throat after being fed by one of its parents) and the newborn swift to its side.
  • Both parents are feeding their chicks well - even though its been raining since 1600hrs this afternoon - but the bigger, older chick is obviously getting a little more scran than its sibling (only to be expected today).
  • Anyway - we have two newborn swifts - one a day old, one a few hours old - good news here at Swift Half!

Sunday 19 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 19th June 2011

  • As predicted   - our first swift egg hatched today at around 0730hrs BST.
  • The chick is very small, very pale and has its eyes closed - you may just about make it out in this clip (behind the unhatched egg), before it gets another feed.
  • Each adult takes turns now to hunt for food for their one chick, whilst the other keeps the chick and remaining egg warm.
  • On avergage, there is a swap over at the nest (when the chick gets fed) every hour and a half.
  • I expect the second egg will hatch in two-three days - stick my neck out again and guess the 21st June. Thats of course if its fertile...
  • NB. I'll try and record in slightly higher quality now that we have a youngster in the nest - on our tv at home we can clearly hear the nestling peeping quietly - you may not be able to hear that on this MP4 clip on a computer...
  • I've uploaded clips number twenty-nine and thirty (better view on 30) onto my website now.
  • Great news eh?!

Sunday 12 June 2011

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 12th June 2011

  • Just a wee note to let all interested parties know that both swifts (and both eggs!) are still doing well...
  • All week, the female has spent HOURS and HOURS on the eggs (and she's not getting fed by her mate at all).
  • Today, both swifts have spent the entire day incubating the eggs - no insects about in this weather!
  • I hope that their first egg will hatch exactly a week today....
  • Watch this space grapple fans....

General (County) update - 12th June 2011

  • As described below, even though neighbouring counties are officially under drought conditions and we are under potential drought conditions (after the driest spring evvarrrr), I'm in a very privileged position at work, surrounded by forecasters - and am well aware at present, that like a few recent years, once again the Azores high has failed to build so far this year. This means the rain and wing bringing jetstream has once again moved south over southern UK and we are in for an extended period of unsettled weather - until that high pressure system builds over the Azores (not looking likely just yet).
  • So.... the rain and wind we've had on and off for a week or so now and big-time today is bringing much relief to the local wildlife.
  • Insects and more importantly, insect larvae are finally getting what they need - midges are hatching, sedgeflies and longhorn moths - caterpillars are doing well - and of course this is all good for the insectivorous birds, not to mention the worms and snails for the blackbirds, robins and thrushes (who have hardly had any molluscs or annelids to eat since March!)
  • I walked round a local nature reserve at dawn yesterday and watched the newly-fledged tits make hay of all of sudden and the local sedge warblers do the same.
  • I also was lucky enough to hear (and watch, AND get a photo of) a nightingale.
  • 122 young black headed gulls were ringed by the local ringers on the nature reserve yesterday and this morning my walking pal and I were treated to the sight of four muntjac (and a fawn) at the same reserve on an early walk. Photo courtesy of Mr.T. (well done Pump!)

Swift Half update - 12th June 2011

  • A few words from me on the garden, rather than our incubating swifts...
  • After the driest spring since records began and neighbouring counties have been given official (agricultural) drought status, its rained on and off here (ON all day today) for a week or so now.
  • The garden has certainly appreciated the rain, even if I havent!
  • The evening primrose has given us its first flowers, the sunflowers are doing well and the pond is not evaporating at all at present!
  • The damsons and pears will get the moisture now they so desperately need to swell - maybe we will get a good fruit crop after all, this year.
  • We have many tree bumblebees taking nectar from the bramble flowers in the rear and rear-rear gardens - I've not located their tree (or bird box) nest yet, but I'll keep searching.
  • A huge foxglove has appeared in the garden (along with a good size clump of wheat again, like last year) - and the bumblebees seem to love this!
  • At last I've finally seen a lone young woodpecker in the garden. A couple of days later than  last year and on its own-  no sibling, not even a parent feeding it. Very strange!
  • The newts still dominate the pond - all sizes from tiny wee newts with gills, through mid size, orange-brown newts with shrivelled gills, gravid green females and small, lively leopard-headed males. All palmates still.
  • A local fox bothered the hens this morning, I caught the tail-end of the action at ten-past five (am) this morning - the poor girls have had a bit of day - scared to buggery and back by a very inquistive fox at dawn and then rained on all day.... still.... no damage done yet - I'll probably keep them in all day this week, whilst I'm at home -  and I've bricked up the bottom of the coop, so with any luck the fox'll not be able to dig itself into their run.
  • Finally, I caught a new moth for the garden t'other night - a "beautiful hook tip". (Quite badly named in my opinion, unlike most other moths. Hook tipped it certainly is, brown, dull and distinctly un-beautiful (I'm afraid) it is too!)

Tuesday 7 June 2011

One-off post

  • An altered version of this clip was shown on Springwatch last night, on the BBC.
  • The original (below) and Springwatch's version are both a delight to watch.
  • Mickey Smith is a very talented camera operator. Very talented indeed.
  • If you have 6 minutes to spare, do please watch the entire film - I certainly think the framing and direction alone are worth it....

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 7th June 2011

  • Its now been a while since I gave a "swifts update", but I was waiting to be sure a third egg was not going to be laid, before I updated any followers of our swifts here.
  • Well... I can be pretty sure now.
  • We are only going to have a maximum of two chicks - no third egg has been laid this time - possibly because the adults are running about ten days behind schedule now (after the battle for the nest space and rights to breed in mind May, after the first female had already laid three eggs).
  • The latest clip I've uploaded onto my website, clip number twenty-eight, shows the female and the male adults (the female is the bird at the back left at the start of the clip - she can be differentiated from the male as she has a higher-pitched scream) sharing incubation duties of their two eggs.
  • The last time we had eggs being incubated (in mid May) I suggested I'd not upload many clips, if any, until hatching occurred, as there'd not be much to see until then.
  • The very next day there was that almighty seven hour fight between an intruding female and our female which resulted in those first three eggs being rejected and the exit from the roof of our original female.
  • So I'm reluctant to tempt fate again -but I will.
  • These two eggs should (all going to plan) hatch around the 19th and 22nd June, providing both are fertile, neither are kicked out of the nest accidentally or deliberately - and both are incubated well.
  • Its fair to say that at present - certainly on the evidence of the last few days, both eggs are being incubated almost constantly by the female - who seems to be left alone in the roof all day.
  • The male returns occasionally, to give her a few minutes to feed out in the open sky - but at present she seems to be doing all of the donkey work...
  • Anyway - I'll keep recording of course and if something really interesting does happen in the roof before hatching (around 18th June onwards) I'll keep you posted and upload a video or two.
  • If nothing particularly interesting happens before then though, a few words from me here should do the trick and I'll give my DVD recorder, PC video suite and You-tube account a few days off, before (cross fingers) we have two little chicks to record and upload video clips of onto my website.

Thursday 2 June 2011

Swift Half update - 2nd June 2011

  • I've not given a garden update for some time and a lot is happening at present so here goes...
  • Firstly - the edlerflowers are well past their peak - by the first day of JUNE! Something amiss there!
  • Secondly -last year as I've already mentioned before about three weeks ago - the first honeysuckle flower appeared on the 1st June - this year (on the first June) the honeysuckle wass probably past its peak - certainly in full bloom and spreading that sickly sweet smell all over the patio.  Summer has come particularly early this year.
  • The bramble flowers are all out - and are covered with all manner of bees - in particular, loads of tree bumblebees - which must be nesting in  a tree or bird box round 'ere somewhere, but I've not found out exactly where just yet. (Tree bumblebees in case you've forgotten are relatively new to the UK - and are the only bumblebees to nest up trees or in bird boxes up trees. They're very easy to identify - quite large, with a ginger thorax and a white tail).
  • All the flowers and herbs that Anna bought me for my fortieth are doing very well - the flowering sage is rampant (and the bees love that too) as is the lavender. The chives (which we've had for two years now) are doing well - loads of flowers (again, past their peak) and the evening primrose and white valerian are doing very well also (no flowers on the evening primrose yet though).
  • My sunflowers are doing ok as well - though they don't look as "strong" as last year. Time will tell...
  • I saw my first hawker dragonfly over the garden this afternoon, chased by a sparrow - but it managed to gerraway I'm glad to say.
  • We've had our first beautiful demoiselle (damselfly) of the year and the jewel wasp has been back on our south-facing wall a few times.
  • Malu and Yala have enjoyed eating my moffs when I've had time to put the moff trap out - last night I did manage to catch a lovely yellow male lackey moth and two light emeralds - very nice to see.
  • I hear the elephant hawk-moths are out also now, so I don't suppose it'll be too long before I catch one or two.
  • Plenty of birds in the garden also (though I only feed the tits and woodpeckers now, you might remember). I expect the fledgling woodpeckers to make an appearance in the garden any day now.
  • No fox in the garden at present, or heron - but my eagle eyes (and ears!) are ever alert to the possiblity...
  • Since our petrol hedge trimmer has blown up, I've not done much clearing of the garden -so all is very green and overgrown (apart from the lawn of course - which has still hardly had any rain since late February).
  • All this sun and warmth has certainly been incredible for the flowers, blossom and therefore the start of the fruit (pears and damsons) crop. BUT - in order for all these laden boughs (and they really are laden with small pears and damsons) to really come into their own, we desperately need some rain to swell up the fruit.
  • I hear that June is meant to be pretty-well bone dry in the south of England. That combined with a bone dry March, April and May means I rather think that although the possibility of tons of fruit exists, a lot of it may wither away in flaming june. We'll see...
  • I had a wee poke around the jungle this afternoon -looking for caterpillars and damselflies. Hardly any to be seen to be fair (although most insects  - certainly larval insects) like conditions to be far more damp than they have been in the last few months. We have loads of huge harlequin ladybird larva, loads of dock bugs - but thats about all for now.

Swift Half SWIFTS update - 2nd June 2011

  • A little later than expected (and hoped for) but we have our second egg of the second batch laid now.
  • I normally start recording the to-ings and fro-ings in the nest space at around 0500hrs each morning (until about 1100hrs) and then again between about 1700hrs in the evening and 2300hrs - as these are the times when most activity occurs - at least whilst chicks are not present in the roof.
  • This morning though, our female had laid during the night - or at least before 0500hrs, so I missed the moment of lay (so to speak).
  • We may get one more egg, we may just have two now (well.... two incubated and one rejected egg from the previous female's efforts still on show at the bottom left of the frame in clip number twenty-seven, which I've just uploaded onto my website).
  • The clip shows the female briefly incubate both eggs, but by raising her tail, she is allowing air to circulate around the eggs a little - it was once again a pretty sultry day doon here - maybe 25c and warmer still in the roof space itself.
  • If we are to get a third and final egg it may be laid tomorrow, but probably on the morning of the 4th June - watch this space grapple fans...