Farewell swifts!

The swift season is over – the last swift departed our colony on 7th August.

It’s been a good season in general in Sibford, with many more swifts around than in the last couple of years (a group of about 35 was the largest that I saw) and plenty of prospecting activity, where non-breeding swifts fly up to boxes to see if they are occupied. Neighbours have seen interest in boxes that were previously ignored. Fortunately, too, there was no sign of the kestrel that took three chicks last year and two the year before.

In all we had 5 breeding pairs in our Mannings Close colony, laying 14 eggs of which 13 hatched. Sadly one week-old hatchling fell out of its nestbox in the June heatwave, but all the others fledged successfully, untroubled by predators. The main events this year are recorded in my 2026 swifts blog.

Swifts are with us for all too short a time; we wish them safe journey to their entirely aerial season in the skies above southern Africa and look forward to their return next May.

The photo shows motion trails of two swifts leaving their nestboxes.

Tm Huckvale