gable boxes

nb = non breeder from 2017

under eave boxes - front

under eave boxes - back

the dates when the first swift of each pair has returned to their nest boxes on my house

2009 – May 6th, 8th, 9th, 9th, 9th, 13th

2010 – May 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 9th, 16th

2011 – May 3rd, 5th, 5th, 6th, 8th

2012 – May 10th, 10th, 10th, 12th

2013 – May 7th, 7th, 7th, 12th, 17th, 17th, 31st

2014 – May 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 6th, 6th, 7th

2015 – May 5th, 5th, 8th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 14th, 15th

2016 – May 4th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 5th, 8th

2017 – May 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th,

2018 – May 7th, May 7th, 7th, 9th,

 

average date = May 7th/8th (May 7.5)

 

Birds expected to arrive and breed in gable boxes 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, under eave 6 and 9

 

April 5th a swift was seen at Craigavon Lakes

 

April 19th swifts were seen in Antrim, Belfast and Crumlin

 

May 1st

sunrise 05.45 sunset 20.57

 

May 7th

large arrival of swifts today

gable box 5 12.08 two swifts arrive causing a short fight. The first bird stays until 12.26 (4/5/17), (4/5/16), (4/5/15), (2/5/14), (7/5/13), (10/5/12), (5/5/11), (16/5/10)

gable box 6 12.59 a swift arrives and stays until 13.13

gable box 5 18.35 a swift arrives and stays over night

under eave 9 21.35 a swift arrives and stays over night

 

May 8th

gable box 5 13.08 pair back together (7/5/17), (7/5/15), (17/5/14) (unknown in '13), (15/5/12), (7/5/11), (21/5/10), (unknown '09)

gable box 3 17.41 a swift enters and leaves at 17.44

gable box 3 21.13 a swift arrives and stays over night

 

May 9th

gable box 3 the swift left at 05.24

gable box 4 13.00 a swift arrives and leaves at 13.11

gable box 4 14.31 a swift arrives and leaves at 15.14

gable box 2 21.03 a swift arrives and leaves at 21.10

gable box 3 21.34 a swift arrives

gable box 7 21.42 a swift arrives (4/5/17), (5/4/16), (13/5/15), (7/5/14), (7/5/13), (12/5/12), (3/5/11), (3/5/10), (6/5/09)

 

May 10th

gable box 3 04.02 the swift leaves

gable box 3 11.03 a nervous swift arrives and leaves at 11.12

gable box 3 21.13 a swift arrives

 

May 11th

gable box 3 02.31 the swift leaves

gable box 3 09.53 a swift arrives with a feather!

gable box 3 17.07 a swift arrives and leaves in 30 seconds

gable box 2 17.44 a swift arrives 17.54

 

May 12th

gable box 4 10.16 a swift arrives and leaves at 10.18

gable box 3 11.13 a swift arrives with feathers and leaves at 11.31

gable box 3 11.45 a swift arrives with feathers and leaves at 11.54

gable box 3 12.21 a swift arrives and leaves at 12.25

gable box 3 13.03 a swift arrives with feathers and leaves at 13.09

gable box 4 20.28 a swift arrives and leaves at 20.46

gable box 4 21.27 a swift arrives

 

May 13th

gable box 3 04.00 the swift leaves

gable box 3 04.43 a swift arrives and leaves at 04.58

gable box 6 04.58 a swift arrives and leaves at 05.03

gable box 4 05.54 a swift arrives and leaves at 06.02

under eave 9 10.19 the resident arrives

under eave 9 10.20 a nervous swift arrives and stays very still. It climbs the walls. 10.27 it falls on the nest concave causing a fight. Both leave

gable box 3 15.48 a swift arrives with feathers

under eave 3 17.12 a nervous swift arrives

gable box 4 a swift stays over night

 

May 15th

sunrise 05.19 sunset 21.25

 

under eave 7 09.52 a nervous swift arrives and leaves at 10.05

under eave 9 12.18 two swifts arrive but do not act like a pair and don't sit together. One has no rings but both should

under eave 9 21.35 two swifts arrive but do not act like a pair. 21.47 both are on the nest

 

May 16th

under eave 9 05.32 both swifts leave

under eave 9 both back and stay over night

 

May 17th

gable box 5  Late lie in 'bed' today 21.36 last night to 10.52 this morning

 

Europe wide shortage of swifts!?

 

May 18th

gable box 4 19.13 a swift arrives

gable box 6 19.13 a swift arrives

gable box 2 19.23 a swift arrives

gable box 4 19.32 the swift leaves

gable box 6 19.42 two swifts arrive together causing a fight with the lone swift. 19.44 two swifts leave

 

gable box 6 19.46 a swift returns causing another fight.

gable box 9 20.12 a swift arrives

gable box 6 20.15 both fighting swifts fall out of the entrance

gable box 6 20.23 a swift arrives

gable box 2 21.43 the swift leaves ( 2 hours 10 minutes)

gable box 7 21.53 a swift arrives

gable box 2 22.06 a swift arrives

 

swifts over night in gable boxes 2, 6, 7, 9

 

May 19th

gable box 5 first egg 11 days back

gable box 6 04.47 the mate arrives causing a fight

gable box 2 04.57 the swift leaves

gable box 4 05.00 a swift arrives

gable box 6 10.01 a swift arrives

gable box 9 10.06 a swift arrives

gable box 6 10.36 2 arrive

gable box 9 10.40 a swift arrives and leaves at 10.47

gable box 6 11.19 both leave

gable box 6 12.03 a swift arrives

gable box 6 12.25 a second arrives

gable box 7 12.25 a swift arrives

gable box 9 12.37 a swift arrives and leaves at 12.48

gable box 6 13.16 both leave

gable box 7 13.18 the swift leaves

gable box 4 13.41 a swift arrives

gable box 6 13.51 a swift arrives

gable box 4 13.51 the swift leaves

gable box 9 14.04 a swift arrives

gable box 4 14.04 a swift arrives

gable box 7 14.04 a swift arrives

gable box 9 14.12 the swift leaves

gable box 7 14.24 the swift leaves

gable box 9 14.40 a swift arrives and leaves at 15.00

gable box 7 15.12 a swift arrives and leaves at 15.28

gable box 6 15. 28 a swift arrives and leaves at 15.32

gable box 6 16.24 a swift arrives

gable box 6 16.36 a second swift arrives

gable box 2 16.49 a swift arrives

gable box 6 16.58 an intruder arrives causing a fight

gable box 9 17.16 a swift arrives and leaves at 17.38

gable box 6 18.00 the fight ends

gable box 7 19.49 mate arrives

under eave 2 22.00 a swift arrives

 

pairs in 5, 6 and 7 over night

 

May 20th

22c the hottest day so far

under eave 2 the swift leaves at 05.25

gable box 9 04.34 a swift arrives

gable box 9 08.05 the mate arrives home

under eave 6 05.44 swift arrives and stays until 07.00 first used by a pair on July 25th 2017. Where did they come from?!

under eave 6 08.06 a swift arrives and leaves at 08.35

under eave 6 08.41 a swift arrives and leaves at 09.00

under eave 6 10.20 a swift arrives and leaves at 10.32

under eave 6 10.40 a swift arrives and leaves at 10.48

gable box 6 11.56 an intruder arrives resulting in another fight and both falling out of the nest at 11.59

 

gable box 6 12.00 a very brief appearance of an intruder

under eave 6 13.25 swift arrives

under eave 6 13.33 the swift leaves

gable box 6 14.25 an ?intruder arrives and leaves immediately

under eave 6 14.59 a swift arrives and leaves at 15.30

under eave 6 16.14 a swift arrives and leaves at 16.17

 

May 21st

raining all day

under eave 9 pair have not been together for 5 days

gable box 3 the lone swift making a nest has not been back for 8 days

 

May 22nd

gable box 4 08.52 a swift arrives and leaves at 08.54

gable box 5 11.56 2 days absent the mate returns to a bad reception

 

under eave 9 11.58 2 arrive. Are these the 2017 pair, the returning mate from 5 days ago or a new mate? both leave at 13.10

 

gable box 3 16.01 a swift arrives and leaves at 16.03

gable box 4 15.52 a swift arrives and leaves at 16.06

gable box 4 18.14 a swift arrives and leaves at 18.17

gable box 4 19.26 a swift arrives and leaves at 19.33

under eave 6 19.35 a swift arrives and leaves at 19.37

gable box 3 a swift arrives at 19.46 and leaves at 19.50

gable box 3 19.59 a swift arrives and leaves 20.01

under eave 6 19.59 a swift arrives and leaves at 20.11

gable box 5 only one in for the night

under eave 9 new pair didn't return

 

May 23rd

gable box 5 mate returns at 04.53

under eave 8 09.05 a swift arrives and leaves at 09.23

under eave 6 10.24 a pair arrive and no fighting. Both leave at 11.23. Together for the first time on July 25th 2017

under eave 7 12.06 a swift arrives and stays until 12.26

gable box 6 another fight! 11.53 until 14.12 end with both falling out of the box

under eave 9 new pair didn't return

 

looks like the under eave pair cant decide which box to be in. They've been in 6, 7 and 8. All boxes except have been closed now

 

May 24th

under eave 6 10.32 a swift arrives and leaves at 10.34

under eave 9 they haven't been back

 

May 25th

gable box 5 12.35 an intruder arrives and leaves immediately

 

May 27th

gable box 9 first egg 7 days back together

gable box 4 07.15 a swift arrives and leaves at 07.23

gable box 4 15.31 a swift arrives and leaves at 15.34

gable box 4 18.32 a swift arrives and leaves at 18.44

 

May 29th

gable box 9 second egg

 

May 30th

gable box 6 first egg 12 days together

gable box 7 first egg 11 days together

 

June 1st

sunrise 04.55 sunset 21.51

 

May was the driest and hottest May since records began in 1901. Little or no rain has fallen in a month

 

under eave 6 first egg 8 days together

 

June 3rd

under eave 6 second egg

 

June 4th

not much to report. Gable boxes 3 and 4 are visited infrequently despite a lone swift nest building in 3

 

June 9th

under eave 4 2100 a swift arrives and stays until 21.14

under eave 4 21.25 a swift arrives and leaves at 21.29

under eave 4 21.30 a swift arrives and leaves at 21.37

 

June 10th

gable box 5 first and only chick out

 

June 13th

under eave 4 06.28 a swift arrives and leaves at 06.33

 

June 15th

sunrise 04.47 sunset 22.04

gable box 9 first chick has hatched

 

June 17th

under eave 4 20.25 a swift arrives and leaves at 21.50

 

June 18th

under eave 4 06.20 a swift arrives and leaves at 08.05

 

Absolutely nothing to report. It's been so quiet

 

June 26th 22.50 bangers going crazy outside

 

June 28th 32C today

 

June 29th

gable box 4 20.36 a swift arrives

 

June was the driest and hottest June since records began in 1901. No rain now for 6 to 8 weeks! Is the heat stopping bangers?

 

Live feed from a pallid swift nest in Spain

 

July 7th bangers until almost dark with street and road lights on

 

July 8th

07.20 bangers at the gable and under eave nest boxes

under eave 3 09.20 a swift arrives and leaves at 09.25

 

As the season quickly draws to a close I can only hope next years will be more exciting. There has been very little entry in to vacant nest boxes. Screaming parties occur OK but there hasnt been much banging

 

Summer 2018 has been the sunniest driest summer since 1976. The drought came to end on July 28th with a months rain falling in 3 hours - 90mm