Breeding Birds at "Rossal"

How we are providing suitable nesting places for a wild birds

• Birds
• Mammals
• Landscapes
• On the Easel
• Site search

NESTBOX NEWS - THE STORY SO FAR

2005 Season
"Rossal" faces a make-over
As spring unfolded it was obvious that the site was not going to attract many nesting birds, although one species the swifts continued with their nesting as usual. As the build dragged on our thoughts were of future seasons, of a time when the building-site would be gone! During the course of the construction we seized the opportunity to incorporate some bird friendly features into the fabric of the building that we in turn could take pleasure from observing in future years.

Swift Nestboxes in the loft
I used some home crafted concrete molds to make bricks that provide entrance tunnels through the exterior wall. These allow access to the roof space where I have located two swift nest boxes.

2006 Swift update
The exciting news is that juvenile swifts started flying up to the gable end of the house looking for entrances into the building. They have not exactly worked out where the nest holes are but playing a seventy minute CD of flirtatious swift calls out through the holes and pining a very attractive cardboard cutout on the wall seems to have attracted their attention! I'm not a fan of cardboard cutouts myself but if you are a single swift...? Unfortunately at the end of the season the swifts had still not found the holes. They are notoriously poor at finding new nesting locations. They were flying up too high and exploring along the slate line so I have decided to add a mock-gutter level with the top of the holes for 2007. This theoretically will give them something to explore under as they do on the front of the house.

Garden nest boxes
In a bid to increase nesting opportunities in the garden I currently have seven other nestboxes. The gable end of the garage is now adapted to encourage swallows and I've added swallow nesting ledges in the porch and under the garden deck.

Blue Tits
This season has resulted in two broods of blue tits and one of great tits. The great tits took over a sparrow colony nestbox and fiercely chased off all interested sparrows.

2007 Good and bad news for swifts
The good news is that the gutter above the nest holes gave the prospecting birds something to aim at and on 3rd June a pair of swifts found the entrance hole and occupied the nest chamber. They were too late to breed in 2007 and were probably juveniles. Immature birds normally just occupy a nest site and build their pair bond ready to get on with breeding the following year.

Overall 2007 was a dire year for swifts. Nationally they raised about a half of their usual number of fledglings. The very wet weather was poor for insects and consequently a poor season for swifts, which feed exclusively by trawling for insects on the wing. At the beginning of August two swift chicks bailed out of their nests prematurely because the parents were unable to bring sufficient food. I rescued one bird and with some advice gained from sources on the internet decided to attempt hand-rearing the bird.

House crickets twelve meals per day!
The first night I was camped downstairs feeding the chick every hour and a half. Such a weak bird can only take small feeds but they need to be given regularly to revive it. If you can imagine me catching flies by every means possible you get a picture of my preoccupation over the next couple of days until a postal delivery of live house crickets and other goodies provided a more reliable supply.

Fifteen days later and our swift was looking ready to go. Advice suggested the swift would only leave if it was ready. It should make the decision. We checked the weather for a favourable forecast. Things looked perfect. There was a tail wind all the way to France and settled warm conditions for several days ahead.

Jill and I gathered a stepladder to go down to a field (a safe spot for a maiden flight). Our intention was to as recommended use the ladder to offer an elevated takeoff platform. On the way to the field I placed the swift on a rug laid on the lawn in order to take a final photo. As it turned out I only got one photo as the swift calmly looked around and confidently made a vertical takeoff circling past our bedroom window and up over the garage. Only a fit adult bird is supposed to be able to take off from the ground so it was an impressive achievement!

You can learn more about swifts below:
http://www.londons-swifts.org.uk/

2008 Season
Six nestboxes are occupied; one with swifts, a brood of great tits and four with blue tits. We also witnessed a pied fly-catcher investigating one of the boxes (unfortunately already occupied). Tawny owls used the box just outside the garden and a teal duck nested in the wood amongst the bracken. A wren has built a nest on the ledge that I put up to attract swallows.

2008 SWIFTS
Download video clips of our nesting swifts

Swifts in the nest chamber
Mutual Preening
Screaming
1st egg 2nd June
There is room for the both of us! 2nd June
2nd egg spilled from the nest 8th June
Nest now well lined 20th June
Chick hatched 22nd June - Chick Calling
Just a few hours old
Home alone?
Chick on day two - 23rd June
Chick calling - Feather brought to line nest (File size 11 MB)
7 days old - adult feeding chick
9 day old chick flapping
11 day old chick - adults changinging over and feeding (File size 7 MB)
12 day old chick and both parents
16 day old chick flapping wings
Mistaken identity - minor scuffle after feed (File size 13 MB)
17 day old chick - feed both adults in chamber
The chick was ringed on the 8th of July when it was 16 days old.
Adult with full crop feeding 18 day old chick (File size 9 MB)
Big feed 23 day old chick (File size 14 MB)
Powerful exercising - 23 day old swift chick
Swift family - chick 29 days old (File size 7 MB)
Exercising chick at 31 days (File size 7 MB)

SWIFT FACTS
Swifts tend to be lumped together with swallows and martins. In actual fact their closest relatives are humming birds. When the chick leaves the nest it will never return to this location. It will have to fly immediately and not just around our neighbourhood but all the way to Africa. It will probably not land for a couple of years!