Swifts (1 Viewer)

[helenol]

I've just been watching the swifts nesting in our eaves. Two swifts were going backwards and forwards to one of the nests, and as I've just left them, I can still see the tail of one of them, as though it is just "clinging on" outside the nest.
Do the parents stay with the juvs until they take flight?... as the 2nd nest was very noisy just now, but I didn't see any swifts go into it.

I'm getting the "oh no...summer is soon to be over" feeling now as there are absolutely loads of swifts at the moment flying around. How long from the juvs leaving the nests to the departure southwards?

I've looked up a few web sites regarding swifts, but they all seem to be a little vague on the questions I've asked above.

Any recommended sites about swifts?

Regards
Helen

You just can't beat a clear summer evening, sitting outside and watching these birds scream by. Fortunately we have excellent close up encounters with these birds; due to us living at the top of a hill, the houses are staggered thus affording a great view of them all coming and going, especially in a morning when they wake you up coming towards your bedroom window into the eaves above. Sometimes it looks as though they're coming right at you. :bounce:

 

[tf1044x]

Helen,
The answer to your first question is yes, they do stay with them until they leave the nest. Even after that they still return to the nest at night, that is when you hear all the noise. If you have ever handled a swift, you will have noticed that they have small sharp claws, so there is no problem for them to hang onto a wall etc. It is around this time of year when they start flying around the houses in mad flocks, screaming as they go. I should imagine that most will have gone by the end of August, and by the end of September most will have left the country. I have seen them in November but that is uncommon. Hope that helps

 

[Lewis]

Do not know about swift sites, but we did see white-throated swifts for the first time a week ago - actually for the second time, but until seeing them this time in the same area as before we were never sure - in Marin County just across the bay from San Francisco. They are cool - a rather batty manner of flying.

 

[fede]

Do swifts "swoosh"? Last february I spotted a of about nine at Dúrika, Costa Rica (didn´t identify species). They flew in formation, doing circles. On one point of the circle you could hear a "swoosh", I guess it was air resistance. Is this normal? Where they playing?

 

[Nina P]

Helen, I have been following the local swifts in my local Dorset site in Cranborne, near to the Dr's surgery and until this morning they were flying madly screaming as they passed, and clinging onto the nests, but as I'd suspected this morning they had gone, only as I live due south of there I had a flock of swifts swirling, (and tail chasing) over my garden, but without making a sound that I could hear, but I was sure that they were definately swifts, well the following night there were more and a couple of them screamed and then I was absolutely certain, but we have never even had a fly past before, and another thing is there seem to be so many this past couple of years, reminding me of my childhood at school where they used to nest on the school eaves. that being the resulting information for now, Nina.

 

[helenol]

Helen,
. If you have ever handled a swift, you will have noticed that they have small sharp claws, but.

Yes, a couple of times. The last being about 3 weeks ago, the cat had managed to get on to next doors roof somehow and had caught one. We chased the cat away before it was too late, the swift had a small nick underneath, probably where the cat had caught it. The poor mite was clinging to my fingers for dear life.

Anyway, as the swift was in shock, I called my neighbour who is very experienced regarding birds etc. She put it into one of her sheds for the night. The next day she found some flying ants which the swift scoffed with relish.
All that day the swift hung on to my neighbours t-shirt as she got on with her daily chores, putting her chickens away for the night etc. That night she brought it into the house and the following morning she took it outside, whereupon it continued to cling to her front. All of a sudden it climbed up to her shoulder and nape of neck area, where it promptly took off and flew away!

Last year there was a swift outside my front door. The cat was standing over it!
Again, I chased the cat away and brought the swift indoors where I discovered some type of cassette tape had become entangled in its wing. I cut off the tape, took the swift outside and off it flew. I can only imagine it was clearing out its nest in the eaves above where I found it and had become entangled in the tape then fell from the nest.

Fortunately two happy endings for the swifts.

Regards
Helen

 

[seb_seb]

All my seem to have departed, or are just not as obvious in the bad weather/ Havent seen one in the skies above my house for a few days now