Swift Half SWIFT update - 25th April 2011

• Swifts are still hard to come by over Berks by the look of it. A pal in Jersey suggests they're not stopping anywhere long - but moving north in this good weather - making hay whilst the sun shines so to speak.
• Anna and I have seen two, seemingly courting above the garden (yesterday), but we only have one in the roof still.
• Last night our swift brought in a large white down feather (which you'll see in the middle of the roof space on our third video update) which the swift tried to glue into place with a little saliva. Unfortunately I was not recording at the time - lesson learned!
• One might be forgiven that because this swift has started to nest build, it must be the female. Not so I'm afraid.
• Both sexes build a nest by gluing whatever they can catch in the sky (a stray down feather from a pigeon, a stalk of hay, a bus ticket!) down into the nest space with swift saliva. In fact, in case you weren't aware, the eastern delicacy of birds nest soup is made from cave swift nests -which are made from saliva like our swifts' nests! MMmmmmm!
• Our individual swift may be a female, but it could be a male also. What we still need is TWO birds now - both adults are needed to feed the young and of course incubate the eggs, if and when eggs are laid.
• Our swift leaves the roof between 08:00hrs and 09:00hrs each morning - and we don't see it again at present until about 17:30 hrs -when it seems to return from its hunting grounds (who knows where!) to roost for the night.
• Now please come in swift number two, your time is up!