Robins and red-throats offer the perfect antidote to the swifts’ departure.

We have just returned from a wonderful couple of weeks on Skye. My swift season ended abruptly on 26th July when we left but due to the wonders of camera technology I know I didn’t miss any significant aerial action after then. The swiftlets in box 3 fledged and I was able to watch this from Skye. We still have two swiftlets in box 4 which should go in the next few days so I still have the pleasure of seeing adult swifts coming and going.

The first morning back home here in Gilling East, I awoke to the sound of robins singing. It is a joyous moment each year to hear them sing again after their post breeding season moult. With the swifts nearly all gone, robin song for me represents an exciting new time of the year, when I can watch bird migration and see new species arrive on UK shores. I eagerly anticipate the arrival of redwings and fieldfares and look forward to finding hawfinches around the village again. Will it be a waxwing winter- we are certainly overdue a good one…? I look forward to sketching winter flocks of lapwing again and painting the landscape in its autumn and winter garb.

Skye’s scenery was spectacular, we did see the occasional distant eagle but for me red-throated divers were the bird of our holiday. I have always been utterly captivated by divers, including when I looked at them in books as a child- long before I saw one. The Skye red-throated divers were the ideal antidote to leaving the swifts behind. There were red-throats in ‘our’ bay every day, adults in breeding plumage- perhaps failed breeders or birds with chicks still to fledge from nearby lochans.

On our first full day I was watching a red-throat fishing in the bay. I ‘perched’ precariously with my sketching gear on a rather slippery sea weed strewn bolder, tripod hastily mounted with each leg a different length. The red-throat spent so much time submerged that I had to make the most of the few seconds it was visible, hastily readjusting the scope each time it surfaced in a new area of water. But my brief views of this bird were glorious and remain etched on my mind. On one occasion the diver suddenly stretched its neck out and began calling the most evocative mournful wailing sound, befitting of any film set in remote locations or imaginary lands. Another diver had landed nearby, evidently its mate- the pair wailed in unison and then settled down to feed together. Later that day I saw eight breeding plumage red-throats in ‘our’ bay. For me this was birding at its very best.

So I ‘replaced’ swifts with red-throated divers and I observed them closely because I love to really concentrate on sketching one species. Their postures are so elegant and the rufous throat, set off by light grey tones on the neck and head, berry like eye and striped nape compels me to paint them. In some aspects they are similar to swifts- divers live a life entirely on water, mainly at sea, only normally coming ashore when they breed on freshwater lochs (substitute a swift’s aerial life for a diver’s aquatic life). Only then do they clumsily walk or rather stumble, very close to the loch edge to form a nest hollow. A diver’s physical structure is designed for swimming, with legs positioned far back on the body making it ungainly on land. The long incubation period is followed by six weeks or so when the chicks grow to fledging age. The parents commute back and forth from the nesting lochan to the sea where they find food for the chicks. Eventually the young divers learn to fly and when fledging have to reach the sea where they will likely spend the whole of their time until they are old enough to breed.

Seeing these divers in summer will link directly to me seeing them in the sea around Whitby in mid winter. When I see them in winter plumage, I can think back to seeing them in resplendent breeding plumage on Skye (and our lovely family holiday). Observing nature, a little like music, has a way of linking our time spent in different places and bringing back vivid memories. I know this winter’s diver sightings, which will probably happen in bitter weather will be enriched by our fortnight with the divers on Skye.

We have five active house martin nests under our eaves. This lessens the impact of the swifts’ departure. They give us as much joy as the swifts and keep summer going through much of September. A hundred or so have been present around the house each morning since we returned. Quite where they have all come from is a mystery. They gather on the wires and on our wall at times, a spectacular sight and sound when twenty or so all cling together under the eaves. I have often witnessed these late summer gatherings around small colonies- unfortunately it rarely translates to obvious increases the next year- they are probably migrants stopping off, or perhaps birds from a wide catchment of this area communing before departure. As with much of house martin behaviour it is a mystery, but the sight of them is spectacular and I’m glad to say people often stop to watch them as they walk along our road.

The swifts are mainly gone but there is so much to see now and look forward to before my first swift sighting of 2024. Their brief season here is different each year- for me this one will be remembered for being the most disappointing I can recall for lack of aerial and prospecting activity and I look forward to a different and hopefully better season in this respect in 2024. But the robins, divers and house martins remind me that swifts are tiny fraction of the inspiration the natural world has to offer.  

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Red-throated divers on Skye, watercolour.

Red-throated diver studies, watercolour.

Red-throated divers displaying, watercolour.

Red-throated diver, pencil.

Swifts nest building- a message of hope for the future.

As the last few days of the main swift season draw to a close I have been watching some interesting behaviour by one adult pair. Their chicks had both fledged by Monday last, but since then they have been busy nest building with feathers and thistle down (which sometimes drifts around the nest box). I have seen this behaviour before but each time it moves me to see it. Nest building a year ahead of the next breeding season really sets swifts apart from many other small birds because it seems to show foresight and an ability to plan ahead. 

The swifts know they won’t need the nest this year, so are they building in the faith that they will safely return in May 2024? For them, is there no thought of an arduous journey and all the hazards that entails or even the thought that they might not make it back in nine months time? It seems to me this offers us all a message of hope for the future.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Swift nest building

First swift fledges- 22nd July, 2.47pm.

We had a late lunch yesterday and naturally I chose the seat that affords the best view of the swift and house martin boxes. I hadn’t even started to eat when I noticed a white faced juvenile swift with its head slightly protruding from the entrance of nest box 2. Generally they keep slightly back from the nest box entrance until very nearly ready to go so I abandoned lunch (forgetting to be excused from the table!) and ran outside.

Now watching through binoculars I saw it move further still, its head completely out of the entrance hole. It surveyed as much airspace as it could with its wings slightly open, the signs were good. Then a tilt forward and it launched, pushed forward by its legs into the open air. I have seen many swifts fledge and every time my heart ‘races’. As with every fledging I have watched I needn’t have worried; it lost very little height (about 1.5 metres), flapping ‘madly’ from the outset it quickly gained altitude and instinctively spiralled up in wide clockwise circuits until it had reached about 150 feet. In my experience 2.47pm is quite an unusual time to see a swift fledge with morning or dusk much more likely.

The weather at the time could best be described as calm with heavy drizzle, but those were the conditions it chose for its maiden flight There was a flock of c.50 swifts feeding low over Gilling, probably a migratory flock held by the wet weather and it interacted with some of these birds, even briefly chasing one. A couple of other swifts briefly flew alongside it, perhaps its parents but most likely not, before it joined others feeding low over the nearby woodland canopy. I was able to watch this bird for about five minutes before finally losing sight of it. The flight control, which seemed instinctive from take off was near perfection and it was nearly indistinguishable from the other older swifts. I say nearly because I could still see the silvery tipped wing feathers and whiter face through binoculars setting it apart clearly as a juvenile.

After what has been a very disappointing swift summer here I was elated to see such a perfect fledging. Seeing a swift fledge is right up there with my favourite bird sightings. I have followed the whole life of this bird, I watched its parents form a pair and probably even saw its conception, then watched it incubated as an egg for 19 days before seeing its first tender moments after hatching. I watched it grow and saw its feathers emerge during six weeks of care by its parents in the nest box. I even saw it share eleven nights with a house martin fledgling! All culminating in this moment which could have gone wrong, but didn’t. Perfect flight, perfect adaption and now potentially one, two or more years continuously on the wing. I shouted my commentary as it soared and I was left feeling so privileged to have witnessed another swift fledging. You could drag me across continents to see all manner of creatures but nothing could better what I had just witnessed in my own back garden in North Yorkshire.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Watercolour studies of swift about to fledge- 22nd July 2.47pm.

Swift and house martin update- 18th July

Swift diary

With practice it is quite easy to spot adult swifts out on sorties to gather food for their young. They collect hundreds of insects which are stored in their throats- this forms a small ‘ball’ of food known as a bolus. Their faces have a very different profiles when storing insects, looking rather blunt from the side. Even head on the top of the bolus can catch the light and show up well. This can be useful when assessing a feeding flock, For example I once saw a flock feeding above oil seed rape in poor weather and wondered if any were younger non-breeders. A quick glance proved that most birds carried a bolus, thus it was likely this was a flock of birds at a food source commuting back and fourth to their nest sites. Those without a bolus had most likely just arrived.

Our non-breeders have been away since 9th July. This is one of the longest peak swift season departures I can remember. In a ‘normal’ year we are within two weeks of the close of swift activity now, though late breeders will remain well after most swifts have departed for Africa. So 2023 remains a very poor year for swift watching- my least productive by far. I have had so little opportunity to see evening flypasts and morning prospecting. The pairs lost this May do not look like being replaced by non-breeders now. There is still time for some late prospecting as a weak ridge of high pressure may well see some non-breeders come back this week before very unsettled weather returns for the weekend.

But our three pairs of breeders are raising six chicks between them, the first due to fledge in about a week. I am enjoying watching them start to peer from the nest box entrance. They watch any movement intensely- passing insects, the house martins as they approach and me as I sketch them. Front entrance boxes enable me to study their faces well to sketch them, while they also enable the swift chicks to see extensive areas of the sky they will shortly launch into.

House martin diary

House martins have finished their first broods. The fledglings feed around and about but do not return to roost with their parents after a few days. I have seen them tree roost many times. They fly fast around a tree top at dusk and slip into the canopy one by one very quickly, until there are none. Many people speculate that house martins without a nest sky roost. I have seen very high house martins at dawn, long before any low level activity, so I do suspect this myself.

Our house martin fledgling that roosted with the swifts moved on on Friday after twelve nights spent with them. A remarkable story, but one I’m sure is played out under other eaves that are used by both species. I have seen house martins enter swift boxes before but have never seen them roost for that length of time.

There is an unsettled feel to the house martin colony on the north side of the house. Three pairs recently fledged young within a few days. Adults are settling down again, hopefully for second broods. This year I won’t experience the usual silence as swifts depart.- there has not been much noise or spectacle to miss this year anyway. Hopefully the breeding swifts will put on a bit of a show before they go. But when they do go the sound of house martins until September is a joyful one as the days shorten and autumn draws near- having house martins lessens the impact of the swifts’ departure.

Spotted flycatchers fledge

Some really good news to end on, the young spotted flycatchers in a nest less than 200m from our house fledged yesterday evening. It has been a great joy to watch this beautiful species closely again this year- one of the first species I really sketched and studied as a young ornithologist. The nest has offered some hope in a difficult year.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Some of the sketches for this blog are available in my shop https://jonathanpomroy.bigcartel.com/

Swift and house martin studies- 18th July

Swift and house martin diary

I occasionally hear very short bursts of blackbird song. It is a reminder that summer is moving on fast and I always associate this with the final countdown to the main body of swifts leaving our shores. The dawn chorus is now a shadow of what is was in May. Most song now comes from goldfinches, greenfinches and yellowhammers with robins almost silent now. The high pitched calls of large flocks of long-tailed tits as they pass through the garden is a reminder that many species are already forming post breeding season flocks.

Swift diary

Unfortunately last blog’s swift forecast proved correct. Low pressure and cooler wind has seen a departure of younger non- breeders.

This swift season has left me perplexed in so many ways. You can read the blog archive for a few ideas why. There was a welcome burst of activity by young non-breeders last weekend, but most have left with the arrival of cooler showery weather- 9000 plus were recorded south through Spurn Point yesterday. So they only stayed for three or four days on this visit. There is a strong possibility they have gone to the continent but we don’t know for sure. I wish I could say I was optimistic for their return soon but the current weather models are suggesting low pressure systems, bringing cool, often windy conditions for the next week or so, so an imminent return seems unlikely for a while.

Our three breeding pairs quietly come and go feeding their chicks but there is no screaming or impressive aerial displays. I have not seen the usual pre dusk gatherings ahead of sky roosting. I went to look at the village hall nest sites today and it seems that colony has dropped from three pairs to one with two of last year’s nest site entrances now blocked with cobwebs. Yet friends further west report high activity and full colonies.

Everything I have seen here suggests that the numbers of breeding swifts and older non-breeders never arrived. I am not optimistic about regaining the breeding pair I lost with non-breeders now. But I hope I’m wrong- my first pair here first entered a nest box on 25th July and bred the next year, so there is still time and hope.

House martin diary

The house martin chick has now spent nine nights with the swifts. The main story here I think is that the swifts have accepted it. They do not feed it- it cannot compete with the larger swift chicks. But it goes out and feeds with its own kind during the day and roosts with the swifts at night. I think the most interesting question to arise from this is, would the swifts be so accommodating to other species? We know that they are very hostile towards sparrows, even killing them sometimes. House martins and swifts happily share the same eaves and airspace so there does, while not symbiotic, seem to be a high degree of tolerance between the two species.

Global Birdfair– 14th, 15th, 16th July

I’ll be on stand 14 in the Puffin Marquee at Global Birdfair this weekend. If you are coming do call in for a swift chat! I’ll have lots of recent swift originals, prints and cards on the stand as well as many other species of course! Very much looking forward to catching up with fellow artists and swift friends et al. See link here https://globalbirdfair.org/

Below- a small selection of work available at Global Birdfair.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Swift studies in watertcolour

House martin studies

Red grouse- North York Moors.

Holkham Bay pinkfeet- watercolour.

Lapwing pair in winter- watercolour.

Great-grey shrike- watercolour studies.

Black- throated diver- limited edition print.

Where are all the non- breeding swifts?

Swift diary

So where are all the swifts? Well we know the breeders and most older non- breeders are still here, but the rest we can only guess. We simply don’t know.

From what I’m reading on social media, and talking to friends there seems to have been a total departure of younger non-breeding swifts (1-2 year olds) for nearly a week now. Screaming parties and prospecting has all but ceased across many parts of the country. Unless there are still large flocks over reservoirs or lakes the likelihood is they have migrated to the continent and they will probably return, passage unseen during this warmer spell of weather. After looking at long term weather charts last Friday I predicted that today and tomorrow would see their return- at 2.30pm today I am still waiting to see if I was right. The weather is warm and cloudy and feels like perfect swift weather, but they are not in Gilling yet- maybe they are winging their way back now, by tomorrow we should know.

I’ve seen these temporary departures many times before, but this year feels different because numbers here have been down throughout the swift season. I know temporary non-breeder departures can happen right up to the last week of July but as that time nears you realise that the next departure might be their migration south to Africa. The younger non-breeders tend to go a bit earlier than the older non-breeders, some of which will be occupying nest sites- they often stay and depart with the main body of breeders.

There is a brief warm spell starting today but by the weekend low pressure with rain gains control again. However the low pressure is much further south this time so warmth should be with us until early next week. The current long term outputs from ECMWF and GFS weather models don’t offer much hope for sustained swift activity through next week, but as always accuracy beyond five days cannot be guaranteed.

However I cannot remember a year quite like this one for lack of aerial activity and low numbers. I am normally feverishly sketching swifts in the sky in June and July and this year the opportunities have been few and far between. It seems many others have experienced the same and some people who had interest in new nest boxes last year are not seeing follow up this year. I wish I knew why.

Here in Gilling East we have not seen an obvious arrival of the youngest non-breeding birds or ‘third wave’ as it is sometimes known. This has happened on the 23rd June from 2020-22 in the previous three years. It leads to an increase in low level flypasts and all other aerial activity. It just hasn’t happened for us this year. The few non-breeders that were here have certainly gone somewhere. There are no pre sky roosting flocks to be seen at dusk, in fact I’ve not seen any evening gatherings this year above Gilling East (last year by now around thirty at times). I am finding myself out of swift watching ‘mode’, I have so missed the early morning wake up calls from swifts ‘screaming’, ‘manic’ breakfast time prospecting, work distraction but most of all, I have missed sitting outside to watch them in the evening. I’ve not had one evening watching swifts over the garden in 2023- very unusual indeed.

But there are still potentially three weeks or so of main season swift watching so I am hoping for a further chance to sketch swifts’ aerial activity.

House martin diary

Our house martin fledgling continues to roost with the swifts in box 2. Last night was its fourth night with the two adults and their two 23 day old chicks. There are no signs of hostility, it seems to have been accepted as one of the brood. However it does have to feed itself because it can’t compete with the swift chicks and so it goes off in the morning presumably to feed with other house martins and reappears to roost in the evening.

One house martin nest cup had flies going in and out of the entrance yesterday, so I went to have a look. Sadly two of four well feathered young were dead inside. I cleared the bodies and added some new nest material. So house martins are now well down on last year here, over a third down. I am certain this is due to lack of food caused by cold weather. Perhaps also with the undisputed decline in insects it is caused by pesticides and other agricultural sprays making these poor weather periods even harder to survive- in the past there would have been more insects on the wing even in the worst conditions?

Two house martin nests have fledged young though. For much of the last week the house martins have been feeding very close to the canopy of the woods opposite, gleaning insects flying close to the foliage and sometimes using the shelter of the trees to fly in areas protected from the wind.

I’m afraid that my blogs have turned rather gloomy recently, it has been hard to find any positives with regards to most of the birds I usually watch, but we have to hope that they will recover. I do know that the decline I have seen this year in swifts, house martins and swallows here has not been due to lack of nest sites- that is a much wider and longer term problem. I hope that this year’s decline has been due to weather conditions during migration and is a more temporary problem that doesn’t hinder potential longer term recovery for both species.

Finally, I must remind myself that I do have three pairs of swifts and four pairs of house martins and be grateful for that! All bird species fluctuate from time to time and I shouldn’t be surprised to see a poor year. But it does go to show that increases once you have these species nesting are not guaranteed. But some reasons for decline are beyond our individual control.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Swift chicks, 23 days old and house martin fledgling- 6th July, 9.30am.

Swift chicks, 23 days old- watercolour

Swift and house martin diary- July 3rd

With the sky almost devoid of swift aerial activity recently I have to turn to the cameras to watch swifts for any length of time. The breeders come and go quietly and quickly but otherwise the sky is empty of swifts’ aerial activity. The non-breeding birds (the few that were around) are elsewhere- we don’t know where. But we do see substantial movement of swifts down the east coast every time the non-breeders depart from here. Spurn Point saw 5000+ move south on Saturday with over 3000 on Friday too, all heading south. I was expecting this while watching the forecast last week- low pressure and strong wind, from a cool north west to north east direction nearly always sees our non-breeders depart but usually if this is before the last week of July they will return in calmer and warmer conditions. Interestingly we don’t see the return northbound passage, I presume because they return high in fine weather.

We know our breeders remain here though, never far away from their young or eggs but the non-breeders just go. I have speculated that in evolutionary terms this could be to reduce competition at a critical time for the breeding population. Breeders could not afford to be around their nests defending them if younger non-breeding swifts were around prospecting- they have to spend every moment in cool, windy weather collecting food for themselves and their young. But non-breeders have the option to go to richer food sources having no ties to a nest. It all makes great sense.

The non- breeders will return, probably from mid week when more warmer southerly sector winds prevail again, but for now there are just not enough insects for a comfortable existence.

I noticed a fledgling house martin in swift box 3 this morning- it entered by mistake yesterday evening after its first flight. I have seen this before so I wasn’t particularly worried. Swifts seem accepting of house martin fledglings and this one was no different- it was preened and brooded with the two swift chicks. It could have left at anytime but chose to stay with the swifts from 9.04pm yesterday to 12.16 pm today! Finally it left of its own volition and flew perfectly, quickly meeting with its parents in the air. Here is a link to a previous occasion on which I saw the same behaviour.

https://jonathanpomroy.wordpress.com/2021/07/25/july-25th-swift-and-house-martin-diary/

I would certainly not claim any symbiotic relationship between the species but it is interesting that swifts tolerate house martins so well compared to sparrows for example. Cameras have enabled us to see these stories play out, a world previously hidden from human eyes.

Two of four of our house martin nests have fledged young in the last week. I am sad to see numbers down on last year when we had six pairs. It can be tough watching the natural world. We are advised to go out into nature to destress or calm anxiety, but at the moment for me it often has the opposite effect- almost every species I enjoy watching and sketching is having a tough time or in decline against the backdrop of fast changing climate and in our valley, intensive farming. I can still appreciate the beauty, but sometimes I wish I was oblivious to all the problems facing species and that I could just step out and enjoy them. But I cannot unsee the declines I have witnessed and just have to do what I can to encourage more people to take an interest and care for nature. On that note I’m running two events during this, Swift Awareness Week. There are many events across the UK this week, see link below for a list

https://actionforswifts.blogspot.com/p/saw-2023-events.html?fbclid=IwAR2S_mHdkhAABUcQjYz_FLOae1GQkkO1uvIBf74cR2J5jgLmjw5zKde8Llk

A Swift Walk, Gilling East village hall. 4th July 7.30pm. A short presentation followed by a guided walk around the village to watch swifts and house martins, including a look at live nest box cameras in Pottergate. Light refreshments while we swiftwatch on our return. £5, free for under 16s. All profits to Swift Conservation.

https://www.swift-conservation.org/

Saturday 9th July- Helmsley Swifts display and walk at N Galleries, Barkers Yard, Helmsley 10.30am- 4pm- an exhibition of my recent swift paintings. At 11am I will guide a walk for about 45mins around Helmsley looking at swifts’ aerial behaviour and their nest sites. On our return I will do a watercolour sketching demonstration at about 11.50am. Helmsley Swifts display and advice on attracting swifts and house martins to your own house. Free and no need to book. Donations gratefully received for the work of Leeds Swifts who have rehabilitated many swifts from the Helmsley area. https://www.startbirding.co.uk/leeds-swifts/

All images and text copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

House martins encouraging nestlings to fledge- watercolour.

House martin fledgling leaving swift box after 15 hours of swift ‘care’.

House martin studies- watercolour.

Some thoughts on possible swift decline in 2023

The swift season has passed the half way point now, if you don’t count late breeders. Once July arrives their departure looms and yet given good weather some of the most exciting swift watching comes in these last four or five weeks.. There are often frantic prospecting sessions by one year old birds and some older non breeders will start to occupy nest sites ahead of next year but essentially we enter the final act. Last year here saw a very productive season with record numbers of clutches of three eggs and an increase in breeders in Gilling East.

Sadly here, that increase has been well and truly checked this year- fewer than usual breeders arrived back and there has been very little aerial activity including fast passes and prospecting. The village is a much quieter place swift wise than it was in 2022. This is reflected in the latest BTO Birdtrack reporting rates which show a lower number of swifts on average across England. See graph below.

Weather during migration

The BTO Birdtrack reporting rate graphs also correlate well with severe weather (cold with severe flooding) in the east Mediterranean in the middle of May, which led to a big hold up of returning birds- in my view the decline from 2022-23 here has been in part due to weather during migration.  Even if swifts avoided the severe weather and went west they were faced with strong headwinds. If they continued north, swifts returning to the east of the UK faced persistent cold, cloudy conditions near the North Sea- not conditions to regain form for breeding. So many questions we cannot answer- did some give up exhausted or even die? Or did they stop and breed further south? Do some swifts on the eastern side of the UK take a more easterly migration route which would have been in the path of severe Mediterranean weather, hence anecdotal reports of fewer swifts on that side of the country?

It is all speculation, but it does make sense because until the change in weather in southern Europe around 8th May, migration and returning numbers looked relatively normal, as the BTO Birdtrack reporting graph shows.

Swift populations are known to fluctuate from year to year. Weather which affects flying conditions and food supply is the most usual reason for this- the jury is still out on how climate change will affect swifts, or rather, how it is affecting swifts.

Lack of nest sites

The biggest cause of long term swift decline is likely to be caused by loss of traditional nest sites in buildings. To some extent I am playing devil’s advocate here, but the naturalist in me wants to know how swifts behave when their nest sites vanish. We know that sadly some are wounded or even die trying to access their old nest sites, but from what I’ve seen this is likely the small minority. Most probably move on to search for new sites, but this is where we are stumped. What do they do next?

I believe swifts, once mature are far more efficient at finding nest sites than we give them credit for. Consider the swifts in the past looking for new sites in woodland when their nest hole was in a wind felled tree. They would have to search efficiently to breed that year or the next. They may even relocate to totally new areas miles from the previous site? Finding new sites is nothing new to swifts.

But the thing about nest site loss that puzzles me most, concerns the longevity of swifts. If a four year old swift loses a nest site it could live another five, ten or even fifteen years. We don’t see evidence of mature breeding age swifts hanging around mourning the loss of a nest site for very long periods. If breeding age swifts don’t find new sites we would be seeing thousands of them drifting round aimlessly until they die and there is no evidence for that- so where do they go? They must go somewhere and evolution would probably dictate that they do it reasonably quickly in order to breed the same year or the next. This might involve moving large distances to find new sites in new colonies or fighting for existing sites or changing mates?

There are so many unanswered questions about what swifts do when they lose a nest site.

Lack of insects

As swift conservationists we should not ignore the massive decline in insects here, at migration sites and at their wintering areas. There has been a dearth of some groups of insects here in Gilling East this spring- without being scientific hibernating butterflies, bumble bees, wasps, thrips, aphids and ladybirds are notable for their absence, but it may be that this represents a much wider loss?

Swifts are undoubtedly more adaptable than many species at foraging over wider range to find enough insects and this may enable them to get by in most summers. We know also that they can raise the same number of young as they did several decades ago. But, and here’s the but, do we know the effect for example of swifts increasingly feeding on flea beetles over oil seed rape? And why have they turned to flea beetles, is this because traditional insect food is more scarce? This relatively new food source lives in a crop which is sprayed heavily- could there be a long term affect on swift health through that and other insect food sources- insecticides and fungicides being passed through the food chain from flea beetles and other crop ‘pests’? I think we ignore insect decline in relation to swift decline at our peril, even if a link isn’t currently obvious.

I know some will be shouting at this blog and saying we have loads of swifts! But the evidence overall suggests that numbers of swifts in the UK this year are down on 2022 and that in some colonies lower than usual numbers of last year’s breeders made it back.

This will vary from region to region relating to local weather. Eastern counties saw persistent cold wind and low cloud off the North Sea through the peak egg laying period, while more western sites enjoyed warm sunny days- some friends in the north west report expanding colonies and lots of aerial action while here in the east the opposite was happening. Some smaller colonies may have lost swifts that had to leave and search for new mates at larger colonies because last year’s mate didn’t return- hence some colonies have normal or even higher numbers, yet the wider picture might be decline. What it shows is that swifts’ (and other aerial insect feeders’) decline is very complex and there are many factors to consider.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

BTO Birdtrack reporting rates is a resource well worth exploring. You can look at regions and counties for a huge range of species. See link here https://app.bto.org/birdtrack/explore/graph/graph_report_rate.jsp

Graph from BTO Birdtrack reporting rates

A rare low level fast pass, this year.

Swift and house martin diaries

Just back from a lovely weekend in Stratford-upon-Avon celebrating the launch of Mark Cocker’s new book One Midsummer’s Day with the event Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth. Four of us, Mark Cocker (author One Midsummer’s Day etc. ), Charles Foster (author The Screaming Sky etc.) and my good friend and fellow swift artist Alison Ingram were invited to discuss swifts on stage to an audience of about two hundred people. It was a delight to be amongst so many passionate swift people and a privilege to take part in the discussions on stage. At the end of the evening we had some great questions from the audience including one on how local swifts remain during the summer and whether they like coming back to an area and nest site?

Impossible to answer but fascinating to ponder! A swift recognises an individual nest site even when faced with multiple similar sites, But far beyond that what does it recognise in the close surroundings, how much do they remember? Again impossible to answer but I would venture to suggest that our older swifts recognise me and my family. Perhaps particularly me stood below the nest boxes staring at them, sketchbook in hand! As they rise higher above their nest sites they would quickly be able to survey much of their foraging areas. I imagine they would form a very strong visual memory of aerial views of their territory including obvious landmarks- lakes, rivers, woodland and man made structures. So a swift may like an area because it provides it with a place to breed, but as soon as its chicks have fledged in most cases they are gone quickly, leaving us wondering why they don’t stay longer.

Do we know if swifts experience emotion? To what extent I wonder? It is impossible to perceive that they do not sense satisfaction or pleasure from the frequent mutual preening which takes place in a bonded pair- one bird offering the other its chin to be preened, perhaps with itches scratched?! There are few species that perform such continuous allo preening within the nest site.  For me it is impossible to imagine that they do not feel some sort of exhilaration during their flying displays- they are a feature of swift colonies but in many flights, just millimetres of inaccurate flying would mean instant death against solid structures. Yet they are compelled to risk all during such fast, low level flypasts.

We could have spent a whole evening on each question and as the clock ticked and it was time to move on to the next, new anecdotes and thoughts sprung to mind too late. It was lovely to meet some more blog readers in person. Swifts certainly unite people. They have formed countless introductions and new friendships in the human world, probably more than any other single species in the UK? The act of campaigning for swifts encompasses so much more than swifts themselves- I see them as the symbol of much wider conservation concerns, particularly habitat loss, insect decline and climate change and not least it is a species that engages many people with the natural world.

Swift diary

With the warm weather more non-breeding birds have arrived, but we are yet to see the very youngest non-breeders- 23rd June for the last three years here. There have been very few landings on nest boxes, just manic flying around the eaves and some tentative pairing of birds in the air- potentially of nest occupying non-breeders this summer. Our third pair began incubation this week. Looking ahead if all goes well young will fledge around 18th August. So it looks like we will end up a pair down on last year. With luck another pair will occupy a nest box ready for next year.

We are having some much needed rain- 27mm today. There was a manic swift prospecting session before the rain started- this often happens. I wonder where the non-breeding swifts have gone today? I imagine they are feeding low over water somewhere, perhaps Castle Howard Lake. They have probably not gone too far as the weather is set to improve quickly after this rain clears. In longer periods of poor weather non-breeders do disappear for days or sometimes a couple of weeks. These departures almost always coincide with south bound east coast movement, so it is quite possible that the non-breeders leave the UK for a while, returning when the weather improves.

The breeding adults though stay relatively local. I have seen them coming and going to feed young in some appalling conditions, but they are never away long enough to have travelled great distance. In the summer of 2020 two intense low pressure systems saw our non-breeders leave for two long periods which severely limited prospecting times that year. There was no evidence of these birds locally and both periods began with movement at east coast watchpoints such as Spurn. Interestingly we never see the return movement, presumably because they fly back high in fine weather?

House martin diary

Sadly we have seen two nests fail so we are down to four pairs at the moment, down from six pairs last year. I think both nests failed due to adult mortality. Once one bird dies the other can no longer manage to raise the hungry brood. I really feel these losses at a time when numbers have never been so low. But the remaining four pairs are coming and going very frequently with food for their nestlings. There is still time for new pairs, but not much. Today’s rain may well encourage some late nest building or nest repairs.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

House martin studies

Swifts and building cumulus clouds, watercolour and gouache.

A 4am BTO BBS start, spotted flycatchers and swift and house martin diaries.

Spotted flycatcher

I was over the moon to see a spotted flycatcher in the garden this morning, for two minutes it was like going back thirty years. It was very close to an open fronted nest box in our climbing rose. Immediately memories of later childhood spent studying this species came flooding back- the climbing frame and Swingball flycatcher perches, the numerous home made open fronted nest boxes and very sadly the hand drawn maps of territories in Hungerford and Newbury, most of which will no longer host this beautiful bird. The spotted flycatcher is a species that has literally vanished in plain sight. Its squeaky song instantly drew my attention over traffic noise in busy streets or in quiet churchyards and large gardens. It was a very dependable species, often living alongside us, but quietly.

I willed the flycatcher to stay but it flew up over the roof. Probably back to the village hall grounds where a male has been calling for a couple of weeks or so. I wonder, has it found a mate? The chances grow less each year. I miss these birds so much.

BTO Breeding Birds Survey

I write bleary eyed after a 4am start- the second visit for my British Trust for Ornithology Breeding Birds Survey. A glorious dawn greeted me but the temperature was down to about 4C with mist hanging over the lower fields. These surveys are so important on a national level as they are the index of UK bird populations. When the alarm goes off I know there are hundreds of others across the country doing the same thing at least twice each spring- four times for me as I monitor two squares, then twice more for turtle dove surveys! The feeling that BTO BBS is essential has never been greater as so many familiar birds’ populations continue to decline. I have watched swallows and spotted flycatchers all but disappear from my squares in the last few years.

On a personal level BBS is an absolute joy. Sometimes you need the incentive to get out of bed at 4am, but one thing I have learnt is that I never regret it. As soon as I am out of the door the excitement builds- how will this year compare to last? But much more than that, I have the woods to myself, no people no dogs running around, just me and the wildlife.

There are always surprises too. This morning I would single out two gorgeous tawny owl fledglings, a spotted flycatcher, a barn owl and a great spotted woodpecker feeding green woodpecker like on the golf course. The winners were blackcaps, treecreepers and song thrushes- never more numerous. Bullfinch was not seen in the expected places which fits with a notable local decline. Marsh tits seem to be holding up quite well though.

But asides from the birds there is the experience of being in the landscape in the early morning light. The woods were cold and shady, save occasional shafts of sunlight which penetrated the canopy, but the second half of the survey took me through tree lined meadow bathed in bright sunlight, just stunning.

Swift diary
Well what a difficult start to the year it has been, but some good news is that we now have swift chicks in box 2, We are still very short of aerial activity here despite fine weather- I still think it likely we have lost birds to more swift populated areas while others never arrived back from migration. The stall of migration back in mid May has had a major affect on colonies in this area. I still find it incredible to think that none of our four pairs of 2022 has reunited. But we seem to have three pairs now, the third in box 4 yet to lay eggs but I’m, confident they will.

Prospecting has been almost non existent but the younger non breeders are yet to arrive and they, hopefully unaffected by migration, will really shake things up in late June. I would usually have spent lots of time sketching swift flight behaviour by now but there has been very little opportunity here. Now we stare at clear blue skies with no cloud and a moderate drying breeze. The lawn is beginning to look parched and the pond will require another top up. The lack of rain must have had big implications for many breeding birds, especially those that feed on worms. I haven’t seen blackbirds, robins or song thrushes feeding on our lawn for weeks. It is hard to judge how this has affected swifts.

House martin diary

Why do house martin chicks call at night? We are lulled to sleep by their calls which were still loud well past midnight. Within a hundred metres tawny owls are calling. Tawnies will predate house martin nests to take the chicks and adults if they can. Fortunately our house martins are likely to be safe in these artificial nest cups but that would not be so in natural mud nests. It has always puzzled me why they call when other species go silent.

We are level with last year at six pairs, though one clutch has been lost probably due to cold weather a couple of weeks ago. Five pairs are quietly coming and going feeding young. Anecdotally  I would say there is an improvement in numbers over the last two years, though lack of mud will inevitably be a problem at some colonies.

All text and images copyright Jonathan Pomroy 2023

Male spotted flycatcher- watercolour in sketchbook.

Spotted flycatcher study- watercolour