Swifts Diary 2023: Oxford University Museum of Natural History

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Mike Priaulx

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Sep 26, 2023, 3:35:29 AM9/26/23
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Hi all, the Oxford University Museum's Swifts Diary is always interesting, as having an excess of nest sites means it gives a picture of the limitations of food supply.

Their last chick flew on 2-3rd September and they had the following positive updates in their 4th September entry

(have others experienced 2023 being a similarly good year? I suspect not everywhere...):

"The summer of 2023 has been a good one for our swift colony. There were 114 eggs laid, of which 101 hatched... there were 57 nesting attempts of which 44 were successful and 86 young fledged, this is the biggest total since 2008 so certainly worth celebrating. (Mine’s a Gin & Tonic).

This has happened mainly due to the warm June weather and is particularly welcome in view of the construction work which has been happening here, but which did not seem to be close enough or loud enough to cause concern to the breeding birds in the colony."


All the best,
Mike

Member of SLN Swifts & Planning Group

Dick Newell

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Sep 26, 2023, 4:36:16 AM9/26/23
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Hi Mike,
It is intriguing why the Oxford swifts favour the nest boxes in the tower with much lower occupancy in the boxes lower down. For some reason, the birds do not use many of these lower boxes, but I doubt if it is related to food supply. There is some factor about some nest boxes that results in swifts not showing any interest for long periods of time. I have nest boxes on the house which have not been occupied for 20 years, right next to boxes which have been occupied for many years.  It is understandable that a colony might stabilise below 100% occupancy, as, if there are fewer unoccupied boxes, the chances of a prospecting bird finding them diminishes, but this doesn't explain what is happening in Oxford.
Dick

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B CAHALANE

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Sep 26, 2023, 6:53:34 AM9/26/23
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I wouldn't think it's the food supply ,at my house i have six unused soffit boxes ,facing east,and right above them are eight Schwegler 17 boxes all occupied ,most of the soffit boxes are less than a foot from the Schwegler's.

On the south side six Schwegler no17 all occupied and six soffit boxes each within a foot of the Schwegler's all occupied.That's swifts for you.

Brian ,

Crumlin..


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Nick Bentham-Green

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Sep 26, 2023, 7:09:12 AM9/26/23
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Down here in SE Cornwall it's been a very good season for my swifts. Of the 8 breeders, I'm pretty sure they have successfully fledged 3 chicks a piece.
I think the 'summer' although wet, has been perfect for providing an abundance of insects.
It has also been a fantastic season for swallows and house-martins, a neighbouring farmer took a photo last week of x4 swallow chicks just about to fledge.....wait for it....he assures me that, that is the 4th brood this year, from this pair!
I also saw during the early evening last week the largest gathering of swallows and house-martins I have ever seen. There were thousands! It was very reminiscent of a starling murmuration! 

Nick 
PL17 8QL 

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Tanya Hoare

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Sep 26, 2023, 7:49:20 AM9/26/23
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That's swifts, I agree. In our long-standing 5 'bathroom' natural eaves sites, 4 are occupied yet no3 in the middle has never been, not even a peep from a prospector or a 'mistake' by one of the others. In our 12 Cambridge system sites, 3 remain steadfastly unoccupied. Although there it's possible a swift just stayed in the pipe, the cameras only record in the box. We have huge numbers of bangers too, yet we're not full.

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Bristol Swifts

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Sep 26, 2023, 9:59:09 AM9/26/23
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Hi All

Not such a good year here in Bristol re; chick fatalities. I lost 7 chicks to starvation in July and not only from broods of 3 either. 

Later on towards the end of the season in July we also had the unwanted attention of the local sparrowhawk who caught at least 4 adults. Luckily I managed to foster all but 2 chicks into other boxes. The remaining 2 we hand-reared. Below is a brief summary from swift House in Bristol.

The first swift arrived back at Swift House on 28th April.


May was a mostly dry and warm month, although the mornings were a tad nippy. The colony slowly re-established itself as last years breeders arrived in dribs and drabs throughout the month.


June turned out to be an exceptional month – the hottest June since records began. It was sunny and warm for almost the whole month. More and more swifts arrived a back and by the end of the month we had 19 breeding pairs, which was a record number at Swift House. 18 were in my camera boxes and the other was in one of my non-camera boxes. The camera boxes produced 40 chicks between them.


July on the other hand was a truly awful month. A shift in the position of the jet stream to the south of the UK brought in a succession of deep low pressures. Week after week of rain and wind followed. The prolonged poor weather eventually took its toll on the colony with 7 chicks dying from starvation. On top of the poor weather we also had the unwanted attention of the local Sparrowhawk who caught at least four adults, leaving another 9 chicks without any parents. Luckily, I managed to foster 7 into my other boxes. The remaining 2 had to be hand-reared. We named them Stanley and Oliver.


Augusts weather started in the same vein as Julys. Thankfully though by the beginning of the month I only had 7 chicks left in my boxes. The last chick in my boxes fledged on 24th August. The following day the last adult departed. The chicks we were hand feeding fledged as followed – Oliver on 20th August and Stanley on 30th August.


Total number of eggs laid 46. Total number of infertile/reject eggs 6. Total number of chicks 40. Total number of chick fatalities 7. Total number of chicks fledged 33.


Mark 


Bristol Swifts


ps. Another topic for discussion for another day is can you have too many swifts nesting in one location? We have almost 20 pairs and they make quite a bit of noise especially in the evening. Their activity definitely hasn't gone noticed by the local predators. The last couple of years we've been targeted by sparrowhawks who have worked out how to ambush the swifts as they return. Maybe having fewer pairs would make their nest sites less conspicuous. Maybe there's an optimum number which once passed is counter-productive to the overall health of the colony.



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Carol Collins

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Sep 26, 2023, 10:07:22 AM9/26/23
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Thank you Nick for your report of a good year for swallows and house martins, as well as swifts.  Here in the Peak District (and before that in South Notts) I fear swallow numbers have gone down year on year - I've seen hardly any swallows this season.  Both the places near to Hathersage where I have seen them have outdoor cattle with the accompanying cowpats, so I presume insect numbers are a factor.
Carol (Hope Valley)

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Tanya Hoare

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Sep 26, 2023, 10:23:35 AM9/26/23
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just for a simple comparison Mark: our colony is 34 pairs but only half on camera so can only report from those.:

Total eggs 49 laid. Total unhatched/ejected/knocked out 10. Chick deaths 4. Chicks fledged 35.

A mixed year for us, wih very early arrivals (28 April) and largest number of clutches of 3 eggs (12) probably reflecting good weather in May.

From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Bristol Swifts
Sent: 26 September 2023 14:59
To: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [SLN] Swifts Diary 2023: Oxford University Museum of Natural History

 

Hi All

Bristol Swifts

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Sep 26, 2023, 10:59:52 AM9/26/23
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That's very interesting Tanya. 

Considering we're over 250 miles apart your numbers are very similar to mine. The only big difference is we had less broods of 3 this year (8) when compared to last year (11).

Mark

Super Swifts

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Sep 26, 2023, 3:42:30 PM9/26/23
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Very interesting to see success rates, IF my maths is correct looks like success rates have indeed been similar at these 3 big colonies;

 

Oxford                        114 eggs – 86 fledglings = 75%

Bristol                          46 eggs  -  33 fledged    = 71%                

Sedbergh, Cumbria   49 eggs  -   35 fledged   = 71%

 

And at a fairly new colony in Bolton at Len Riley’s house;

Bolton   11 pairs      24 eggs – 19 fledged = 79% *( 3 were removed for hand rearing by myself)

                                                     16 would have fledged without this intervention making 66.6%

                                                    

(NOTE ;of the 3 removed-  2 not being fed due to poor weather/1 not fed due to loss 2 adults we believe taken out by neighbour’s new washing pole, raising height of their washing line, right in the flight path and sadly caught both adults at dusk exit to get more food for the chick)  

 

Sorry to hear about you Sparrow Hawk predation too Mark. Sadly, I know of two other big northern colonies where Sparrow Hawks have caused losses.

 

I think though in view of the very wet July these fledgling rates are not bad at all. As a rehabber I received almost 50 chicks this season only slightly less than the number I received last year when the problem in July 2022 was extreme heat.   

 

Louise             

 

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Bolton & Bury Swifts

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Dick Newell

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Sep 26, 2023, 4:44:19 PM9/26/23
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All Saints' Landbeach had 18 breeding pairs this year producing 40 chicks. don't know how many eggs were laid.
Even if 3 eggs per pair, then 40/54 = 74% - so they must have been way in excess of that, as all pairs certainly did not lay 3 eggs.
Dick

Tanya Hoare

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Sep 26, 2023, 5:56:13 PM9/26/23
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One can also calculate by Productivity: Number of chicks fledged per breeding pair:

Landbeach    18 pairs -  40 chicks (assume fledged)           Productivity 2.2

Oxford           44 pairs -  114 eggs – 86 fledglings = 75%    Productivity 1.9                                                                   

Bristol            19 pairs  - 46 eggs  -  33 fledged    = 71%     Productivity 1.7         

Sedbergh      17 pairs -  49 eggs  -  35 fledged   = 71%         Productiviy 2.1

Len, Bolton   11 pairs  - 24 eggs –  19 fledged = 79% *       Productiviy 1.7

Tanya & Edmund

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From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Dick Newell
Sent: 26 September 2023 21:44
To: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [SLN] Swifts Diary 2023: Oxford University Museum of Natural History

 

All Saints' Landbeach had 18 breeding pairs this year producing 40 chicks. don't know how many eggs were laid.

Even if 3 eggs per pair, then 40/54 = 74% - so they must have been way in excess of that, as all pairs certainly did not lay 3 eggs.

Dick

On Tue, 26 Sept 2023 at 20:42, Super Swifts <super...@outlook.com> wrote:

Very interesting to see success rates, IF my maths is correct looks like success rates have indeed been similar at these 3 big colonies;

 

Oxford                        114 eggs – 86 fledglings = 75%

Bristol                          46 eggs  -  33 fledged    = 71%                

Sedbergh, Cumbria   49 eggs  -   35 fledged   = 71%

 

And at a fairly new colony in Bolton at Len Riley’s house;

Bolton   11 pairs      24 eggs – 19 fledged = 79% *( 3 were removed for hand rearing by myself)

                                                     16 would have fledged without this intervention making 66.6%

                                                    

(NOTE ;of the 3 removed-  2 not being fed due to poor weather/1 not fed due to loss 2 adults we believe taken out by neighbour’s new washing pole, raising height of their washing line, right in the flight path and sadly caught both adults at dusk exit to get more food for the chick)  

 

Sorry to hear about you Sparrow Hawk predation too Mark. Sadly, I know of two other big northern colonies where Sparrow Hawks have caused losses.

 

I think though in view of the very wet July these fledgling rates are not bad at all. As a rehabber I received almost 50 chicks this season only slightly less than the number I received last year when the problem in July 2022 was extreme heat.   

 

Louise             

 

      

 

Bolton & Bury Swifts

Super Swifts

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Sep 27, 2023, 2:22:31 AM9/27/23
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Thanks Tanya better to have pair numbers in the stats too. I was rushing! Productivity was pretty good considering the weather and other factors. I believe the GMIT campus in County Mayo had an excellent year too. Nice to hear good news stories of plentiful Swallows and Martins too, we seemed to have more Swallows locally. 

Louise 



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Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2023 10:56:17 pm
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Subject: RE: [SLN] Swifts Diary 2023: Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Bristol Swifts

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Sep 27, 2023, 2:58:28 AM9/27/23
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Hi Louise

The hawk was targeting only the swifts in my 8 Zeist boxes. All my other boxes have bottom entries. The returning birds in those boxes whizz in so fast the hawk had no chance to ambush them. Unfortunately the D shaped entrance on my zeist boxes meant the returning birds in those boxes had to slow down ever so slightly to gain entry. It was was in those split seconds that the hawk attacked. So I've modified the entrance holes to all my Zeist boxes in an attempted to speed up entry. (see photos below) Not sure if it will work but felt I had to do something for next year..

Mark



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Super Swifts

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Sep 27, 2023, 3:11:44 AM9/27/23
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Hi Mark,

I do hope the hawk moves on and that the new entrances help too. I understand in Leeds the Hawk grabbed a Swift as it dropped low leaving its box and there's very little one can do about that, apart from scaring the Hawk off when it was seen, which did help reduce its presence. Martin could tell you more about this and his experiences.

Fingers crossed,

Louise 
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Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 7:58:13 AM
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Mike Priaulx

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Sep 27, 2023, 3:18:13 AM9/27/23
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Hi Mark/ all,

Regarding colony size and predators, this is an interesting point and has come up in our Swifts & Planning Group - the post was Swift Colonies and Predators on 23/08/23,
which stated:

"One point raised at the recent Swifts & Planning Group meeting was that some large colonies are attracting predators and it's a factor that should be borne in mind when designing installations.
Whilst some level of predation is normal we aren't really helping if we inadvertantly give predators an easy lunch.
Swift bricks and boxes are mostly predator-proof but the birds need to access the boxes and it's at this point they are vulnerable to a range of avian predators: Hobby being the classic species we all know about but there are incidences of Kestrel, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and even Magpies being a potential threat.
Avoiding obvious perches for predators (both above and below the colony), and excessive concentrations of swift bricks & boxes, are the basic precautions.
There may be more specific tips that people have from experience?
Perhaps some sort of design guide could be a long-term aim?"

Thanks to all so far who have posted yearly summaries so far, very interesting to see the variation around the UK.

Thanks,
Mike

Member of SLN Swifts & Planning Group


Bristol Swifts <bristo...@gmail.com>: Sep 26 02:58PM +0100

Hi All
 
Not such a good year here in Bristol re; chick fatalities...

Zoe Crossley

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Sep 27, 2023, 3:33:11 AM9/27/23
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Hi All,

Locally to me which is Suffolk we have had a very good year. A cooler May here in the South East meant there were more 2 chick broods this year for us compared to the northern areas that has a hotter May. Whilst July was definitely cooler than normal, feeding conditions were on the whole very good which meant most of the Swifts managed to fledge both chicks. Return rate from last years Swifts was good and uptake of new boxes equally good so on the whole it was a positive season. 
I take in grounded/rehab chicks and this summer was much better than last year with the heat where there were huge numbers of calls over the few days the temperature reached high 30s. 
Locally we have also seen a huge increase of Swallows which is promising. 
On another note despite the Adults arriving back in May having to deal with Northerly winds, the few I had in for other reasons such as wing injuries were all of a good weight and body condition which is nice to see. 

I look forward to chatting to some of you at the meeting in November. 

Zoe 

On 27 Sep 2023, at 08:18, 'Mike Priaulx' via swiftslocalnetwork <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


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Bristol Swifts

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Sep 27, 2023, 3:40:31 AM9/27/23
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Looking forward to meeting up with everyone in November. Lots to catch up on.

Mark

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Bristol Swifts

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Sep 27, 2023, 4:12:57 AM9/27/23
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Hi Mike

Really good to hear it's already been discussed by the Swift & Planning Group. I hope I get chance to talk about it some more at Oxford.

 I must admit my views on colony size has changed. I was an advocate of the more boxes on a house the better, but not any more. I now think a thin spread over a wider area is more preferable than all in one spot for the reasons you have highlighted and I have unfortunately experienced here in Bristol.  

Out of interest. I first noticed the sparrow hawk back in 2018. My colony then was 15 breeding pairs. I've had problems every since  then although I expect it's not the same hawk. The average age for a sparrow hawk is 2.7 years although some can live to almost 7. 

Perhaps 15 pairs was the tipping point in getting the colony noticed?

Mark

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Jonathan Pomroy

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Sep 27, 2023, 6:03:22 AM9/27/23
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Report from Gilling East

In this area of North Yorkshire returning breeders were down- at my own colony only 5 of 8 made it back (judged from behaviour on return and pairs quickly formed). The arrival was more staggered than I can remember probably due to very poor weather in the eastern Med (mid May) and persistent northerly headwinds in Western Europe through much of May. If they did arrive adults had to contend with cold wind and low cloud off the North Sea until mid June- in sharp contrast to the North West which had a very sunny and warm second half of May and early June. Our Northern Swift Group highlighted some big differences in breeding performance and aerial activity either side of the Pennines probably due to weather.

None of my four pairs of 2022 were reunited. Due to very staggered arrivals and a low return rate, waiting first returning breeders took up with singles in other boxes as they arrived. A returning breeder in box 6 eventually (after 3 weeks) had to find a new mate which certainly behaved like a first time breeder. I ended up a pair down on 2022 (4>3). The village as a whole saw a drop of about 40% in breeding pairs on 2022 numbers with all nest sites intact and many extra nest sites provided. Numbers in other small colonies locally were also down. Breeding productivity was good in the end, but all pairs I observed produced two eggs probably due to cool weather at laying time.

Insects were terribly scarce until late June. If you take certain indicator species groups such as butterflies, moths, bees and wasps I cannot remember a poorer year. Locally ladybirds of all species are now very hard to find, which might indicate a paucity of aphids. There are virtually no aphids on our garden plants through the summer.

But the 2023 headline for me was the lack of aerial displays and prospecting. I am normally madly sketching aerial activity- not this year. I have not known a year with less non-breeder activity. Hardly any banging or screaming parties and no occupying non-breeders in nest sites I watch. Numbers in the air at peak times, especially early July were way down on 2022 ( 2022= max. 35+/ 2023= max. 15 ) as were general sightings of drifting feeding birds passing over the village. A number of people in the area who had non-breeders occupy in 2022 had their hopes dashed in 2023 when birds didn't return.

I think to some extent birds at smaller colonies may have been forced to more populated areas to find mates, so those bigger colonies appeared normal while small colonies had fewer birds and less activity.

So a very interesting year but hoping for better in 2024...

Jonathan 


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Mark Smyth

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Sep 27, 2023, 6:09:53 AM9/27/23
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Do any of you know of sites where bats have moved in to swift bricks?

Mark
N Ireland 

Carol Collins

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Sep 27, 2023, 10:10:41 AM9/27/23
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I think perhaps the swift colony in Roslyn Road, Hathersage, supports the idea that the birds may be safer from predators if spread across several properties.  We have had about 20 breeding pairs in each of the three seasons since I've been here, but the nests are spread over five or six houses.  Last year, and again this year, I've watched a male sparrowhawk sit on a roof for perhaps an hour in the evening.  He has been on three different roofs, presumably because he has seen swifts entering each of them. I haven't seen him catch anything (although I have seen a female sparrowhawk catch a young starling a year or two ago) but his chances are surely likely to be less if he has to decide which of several roofs to hunt from.
Carol.

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martin....@sky.com

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Sep 28, 2023, 8:44:48 AM9/28/23
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Hi All,
At the Gledhow colony in Leeds, we've had similar experiences to Mark in Bristol.
The colony consists of a concentration of boxes on my house, with around 22 pairs and then another 18 pairs spread out over houses on the rest of my street. 
The overall numbers of pairs increased this year from 33 to 40, but the colony was subject to visits from a Sparrowhawk and at least 6 adults were predated.
In the part fully monitored with cameras, 18 pairs made breeding attempts, laying 47 eggs. 5 eggs were ejected, 5 failed to hatch and 3 chicks died. 
31 chicks fledged here and 3 more fledged after care from Linda Jenkinson at the Leeds Swifts sanctuary.
With 34 fledging from 18 attempts, the productivity is 1.9 chicks.
However, in one of the breeding attempts, both eggs were deliberately and strangely ejected after 16 days of incubation, so disregarding that attempt gives a productivity of 2.0 chicks.  
It was a tough year to witness, but overall the colony grew and spread to more houses in the street.
I witnessed one Sparrowhawk attack. The Hawk was on the roof and took a Swift as it was leaving a nest box, as it started to climb after flying downwards and away from the box. Luckily, the Hawk landed with the Swift in a nearby drive and I was able to startle it into releasing the Swift, which thankfully, after rest, was ok.
Best wishes,
Martin, Leeds Swifts.



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