Swifts need our help

donal2000

Mark - how is that Swift tower doing that was mentioned earlier on in your posts?

swifts need our help!

The Tesco tower? So far nothing because the non breeders havent arrived

Traonach

My new triple cavity swift box:)
Unfortunately where I live the main swift colony is after been destroyed. Two old house ,where loads nested every year, are after been demolished.:(

I passed the catholic church in Hacketstown (Carlow) today. I often see swifts around the church but there was none today. I looked closely and they are after putting up two wooden falcon cut outs to scare the birds away. Disgraceful.

swifts need our help!

You could knock on the door and explain what they are doing

swifts need our help!

The swifts that were in the old houses will be looking for new nests. Get the CD lure playing tomorrow. Do you have a copy?

Traonach

swifts need our help! wrote: »

The swifts that were in the old houses will be looking for new nests. Get the CD lure playing tomorrow. Do you have a copy?

I have a CD lure. Playing at dawn and in the evening after work. Hopefully I can attract a pair(s). I'm around 1 km from the old colony.

I will be in Hacketstown tomorrow again and will try and find the parish priest.

Birdnuts

I was pleasantly suprised to observe a party of 6 screamers over Stephens Green and Grafton St yesterday evening - it must be a good sign for the species when they can hack it in such an urbanised setting:)

Traonach

Two swifts flying around the nest box this morning.

None this afternoon when I came home for lunch. Hopefully the gods will favour me.

swifts need our help!

non breeding / banging swifts at my house this morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrIssJvh6oQ

rccaulfield

For the past 2 months or so in Balbriggan while sitting out the back i've noticed maybe swifts( forked tails but nowhere near as pronounced as swallows) fly up under the eaves of the houses facing me and grip right in under there for a few seconds then leave. After awhile a noticed a build up of mucky stuff where they were-must get a pic. They have no stopped-is that swift behaviour?

swifts need our help!

swifts normally have their tails closed. It sounds like house martins. Their white rumps should be obvious

Tarsna

Traonach wrote: »

My new triple cavity swift box:)
Unfortunately where I live the main swift colony is after been destroyed. Two old house ,where loads nested every year, are after been demolished.:(

I passed the catholic church in Hacketstown (Carlow) today. I often see swifts around the church but there was none today. I looked closely and they are after putting up two wooden falcon cut outs to scare the birds away. Disgraceful.

The house of the Lord should be open to all creatures

swifts need our help!

well said Tarsna! When it comes to preachers whether it's Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist it's the same .... "not in my back yard!". I had a huge argument one day with a minister over all creatures great and small

swifts need our help!

videos from today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5jsYt2Lhwo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWF77Yt7a0s

E39MSport

^^ Magnificent

swifts need our help!

E39MSport wrote: »

^^ Magnificent

That's what I think also.

E39MSport

They look very unsure on their feet. Often wondered how they fared when finally making land.

swifts need our help!

That's how they all walk. They walk with their toes and heel flat to the ground. Other birds was on their toes. This is why swifts are classed as non passerines - they dont perch

LostCovey

swifts need our help! wrote: »

videos from today

Those birds look almost happier on a vertical surface than a horizontal one!

LC

Birdnuts

Saw another nice party of these over Inchichore near Dublin CC - I suspect all the old Victorian buildings and churches in the city offer many nesting sites:)

swifts need our help!

Lost Covey heir feet are made for clinging not walking but when they want to they can go fast

Birdnuts churches are excellent for swifts but it's their downfall. Too many are getting huge grants for restoration and work always happens during the breeding season

Birdnuts

swifts need our help! wrote: »

Birdnuts churches are excellent for swifts but it's their downfall. Too many are getting huge grants for restoration and work always happens during the breeding season

The usual lip-service to conservation laws so!!:(

swifts need our help!

A good example of work affecting swifts is something that happened here over the weekend. A birder alerted me about scaffolding that was blocking a colony of 20+ swifts. Workmen had begun to replace the facia boards and guttering of two old buildings. Although the borough council has a biodiversity officer they didnt consult her. The scaffolding went up on or before last Friday and it's only coming down today. All chicks will now be dead

Birdnuts

swifts need our help! wrote: »

A good example of work affecting swifts is something that happened here over the weekend. A birder alerted me about scaffolding that was blocking a colony of 20+ swifts. Workmen had begun to replace the facia boards and guttering of two old buildings. Although the borough council has a biodiversity officer they didnt consult her. The scaffolding went up on or before last Friday and it's only coming down today. All chicks will now be dead

Thats appallling!! - the clowns responsible should be prosecuted and hopefully shammed in the local press!!:mad:

Traonach

swifts need our help! wrote: »

A good example of work affecting swifts is something that happened here over the weekend. A birder alerted me about scaffolding that was blocking a colony of 20+ swifts. Workmen had begun to replace the facia boards and guttering of two old buildings. Although the borough council has a biodiversity officer they didnt consult her. The scaffolding went up on or before last Friday and it's only coming down today. All chicks will now be dead

:(:(:(
They will get seriously bad Karma for doing that......

swifts need our help!

another day and another swift in box 2 and one in box 4. The bird in box 4 to calling at the bird in box 2 and the screaming birds outside. Both birds are a bit nervous especially the one in box 4. This is probably the first time in 3 years that they have stopped flying. They are happy to enter a nest box but they dont know what is inside. It could be in use already

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nISsLl1bn8c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BpqgzqRBjA

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Are they not running a bit late?

swifts need our help!

yes but it is possible for them to have a go. I have in the past seen swifts feeding chicks in September

Traonach

swifts need our help! wrote: »

yes but it is possible for them to have a go. I have in the past seen swifts feeding chicks in September

I'm guessing it would give first time breeders experience at rearing chicks and next year they will know where to find a nest/colony.

Still no activity at my nest box:(, but still blasting out my CD lure much to the annoyance of everybody:):). I think I was a bit late putting up nest box and more importantly getting my speaker set up properly.

swifts need our help!

it's never too late to put up swift nest boxes