Our Swifts 2026

 All three of my regular readers will remember, that much to our delight, during  Summer 2025 our Swift box successfully fledged a chick, this summer we added a new box with two chambers, the box was supplied by the Hurst Rethink, financed by the  Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) Some stats sent to me by the Hurst Swift Guru, Rebecca, who drives the project locally

"Since 2023  we have put up about  48 swift boxes  plus there are more that house owners also installed themselves We ,Hurst Rethink group , applied to SOS for funding grants 3 times and we bought the boxes and call systems from Peak Boxes 

In 2023 we had one nesting pair

In 2024 4 nesting pairs

In 2025  9 nesting pairs

In 2026  20 nesting pairs

These numbers include natural nest sites in gables that I know of across the village 

Hard to say exactly how many chicks fledged this year as no one has nest cameras ,  but I observed 20 nests with chicks this year 

Most nests had one chick  some had 2  so probably about  25 to 30  chicks fledged"

More info from the various organisations involved at the links belowed

SOS Swifts and Hirundines

Hurst Rethink

If you would like to know more about the lives of  Swifts there is some info at the link below, they are pretty amazing!!

Swifts

Not a bad increase one pair to 20 pairs in just 3 years . What presumably was our  pair from the previous year, returned quite quickly and set up home, we were a bit worried as House Sparrows had occupied the box, but they must have got their youngsters out early, before the Swifts arrived  as we didn't find any ousted nestlings under the box, apparently the Swifts  can be quite brutal in turfing out intruders!! 

One of our pair giving us the eye early doors, sadly at no point did I get a pic of the Swifts returning to the box, they simply refused to hang off the ladder, diving straight in at about 100mph!!

The new box didn't get occupied although the "Bangers" did show some interest and I did on one occasion observe a bird fly into the new box, so fingers crossed for next year! Bangers are young non-breeding birds that are looking for a site to occupy in the future, they regularly banged our females box and I observed several bits of argy-bargy with one bird flying into to her box and having to be forcibly removed! She weren't messing around it was pretty brutal. Obviously I'm not watching 24hrs a day so how often birds checked out the new box or tested our girls patience I don't know! Though Margie did report seeing lots mid-afternoons on her days off work!

Overall this year was a little strange the birds seemed to disappear for long periods and the majority seemed to leave earlier than usual, I suppose the long dry Summer may be responsible for that! 

Not 100% sure of the date our youngster left. But we did hear the rapid  beating of wings against the walls of the box several times, as the young-un strengthened it's flight muscles before it departed. 

Our Youngster, surveying the big wide world before it's leap for freedom! Shame about the poop spoiling the aesthetic of the picture! 

Amazing to think just a few weeks after this pic our little-un will be flying around Southern Africa, providing he/she doesn't get killed by one of the many hazards they face, we've got our fingers crossed for the little guy!

So what about my efforts getting pics of these winged wonders, I had high hopes for this season, my new set-up with, automatic tracking would surely give me more chance than last year! There are many problems trying to get pics of Swifts, firstly they are blooming quick! Cruising Speed of 70mph and capable of topping a ton!! They also, sadly, don't fly in straight lines, despite me having the reactions of a fighter pilot, I am knocking on a bit! Also specific to our situation, our planting for wildlife means we have a large Hawthorn, a tall Bird Cheery and an even taller Rowan. While this has the advantage of shielding me from most of the neighbours, it must seem a bit strange to see me running about with a camera and a large lens, swearing a lot, it means I don't get much warning of when the birds are going to appear, generally there are two scenarios either the birds are high up, which means I can get them but the are too small in the pics or they are too low which means I see them late and struggle to get on them at all! There is a sweet spot where they are just the right height and moving at just the right speed, but they seemed to ignore that area, possibly out of spite or bloody mindedness!! I spent several evenings trying for pics with pretty poor results!! I know what you're thinking "he's just getting his excuses in early" and you'd be right!!! I haven't even mentioned the difficulties with the light and how heavy the camera set up is!!

All in all I spent many happy evenings watching and trying to get pictures of the Swifts as they flew about the the village screaming at the tops of their Lungs, one minute there would 30 zooming between the houses, the next minute they would be tiny specks high in the sky! 

Anyway the best of my efforts below!

Think this is about the best I did

An insect about to meet it's maker

I love Swifts, they are probably my favourite bird, where I used to live in Suffolk there was a big colony on the local church and I would spend many an evening watching up to a hundred Swifts zooming about screaming, we are not quite there yet in Hurst, think the most I counted in one go this year was 52, but at our present rate of expansion it hopefully won't be long! Sadly this season I never really got the perfect shot! on the plus side there is always next year!!!

Holiday Cornwall: Booted search!

 We decided to go and have a look for the Booted Warbler reported from Zennor, to be honest I wasn't confident they are more elusive than Wrynecks and you know the luck I'm having with them!! But it would be a lifer so got to be in it to win it, we parked up, 2 quid all day, bonus! We wondered down the path to where a small group of Birders were looking like a group of Birders who hadn't seen it! They hadn't and where it was supposed to be was quite distant. We bailed and headed further down the path to the coast, was a good decision, we had a very pleasant walk along the coast, loads of Swallows, couple of Wheatears, a Peregrine, Choughs, Stonechats and cracking scenery. 

Chaffinch

Wren popped up but even I couldn't turn it into a Booted Warbler

Me not seeing a Booted Warbler

Swallows and friends, a Chaffinch and a Chiffchaff

Goldfinch also on the wire

Swallows

Yet another Cornish  Wall, plenty here and Clouded Yellows

Wheatears

Peregrine

Stonechat

Fantastic scenery captured by Margie

Stonechat

Flock of Scoter went by, probabaly the same lot from Pendeen a couple of days ago, despite much scanning didn't see much on the sea.

Seal in the bay below us

Jackdaw flyby

Underwater Seal

Chough, we saw this pair several times but only got once chance at pics.

A  beautiful place, we headed back towards the car, someone had seen the Booted!! We hung around, we could hear it calling in the thick scrub but it never showed, we could hear it moving further away and eventually out of earshot, so we gave up, don't think it was seen again!

We left, had lunch in St Agnes having failed miserably to find a parking space in St Ives, then headed to Stithians Reservoir where we had distant views of a Glossy Ibis, very little water in the reservoir.

Glossy Ibis

As it was our last evening we decided to have a walk on Marazion Beach, very little here though we did connect with the Bearded Tits on Long Rock Pool, there were a few Waders on the beach and a couple of Wagtails but numbers well down on our visit last year!

Heron and Little Egret on the Marsh

White Wagtail

Med Gull

Black-headed Gull

Rock Pipit

Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin flying along the beach, constant disturbance from dogs and their owners, one Spaniel was actively chasing the birds while the owner was on her phone oblivious at least half a mile away!

Little Grebe

Bearded Tit

Little Grebe and Coot

Turnstone

Dunlin and Sanderling

Dunlin

Turnstone

House Sparrow

Stonechat take off!

Random Rabbit

Well that was the end of our two week excursion to the West Country, I enjoyed Somerset. Cornwall was once again a treat, one day I will come when it's windy!!