Swallow Nest Watch

[juckler123 707]

Funny you should mention about no moss ive only ever seen moss on a swallows nest when its been built on the top of another nest our swallows round here dont use it to build.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Well, I've been a bit busy this last few days now, but I've kept up my monitoring of the situation ~ just haven't found time to post about it, I'm afraid! But 'tonight' I've made time to bring us up to date on developements

 

Ok then; Few days ago I held the camera over the empty nest and found a largish, white feather or two in there. These. I imagine, come from the chickens kept by the bloke up the hill behind me. His fowl pens run so far down this way they virtual abutt the back of my ground anyway. Certainly within the home range of my Swallows (Not to mention my Hoodies! I find hens egg shells dotted all over the place around here! )

 

Anyway, a couple of nights ago I was in there at night and, by flash light, glanced up and saw a tail jutting out over the edge of the nest. Adult bird in there over night then.

 

Next day, Monday, I did the camera trick and found she had a single egg. Tuesday?

 

 

Day '15'

 

 

So, I'd confidently expect a third egg, should I 'look' tomorrow. But I'll leave her alone for now. Not that I've ever yet disturbed her at the nest. In fact I find it quite amazing how much time she spends off the nest anyway. But then, at this early stage, I'm given to believe that eggs haven't really 'activated' and so don't actually require the constant warmth afforded by proper incubation? Once she's satisfied that she's layed her full clutch I imagine she'll sit tight and I'll just have to ignore her as she gets on with it. Noticing she's then off the nest will give me - hopefully - the oppertunity to grab a badly focused shot of some ugly little sods squirming around in there!

 

Then we can watch those and try to see how many fledge and survive for the Ultimate survival challenge; Flying out to Africa later in the year.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Managed to get a nice shot of what must be her full clutch today. Five eggs in there now. Thought I'd show ye, simply because it's a nice study of the eggs.

 

 

Swallows in the Making

[byron 1,093]

Managed to get a nice shot of what must be her full clutch today. Five eggs in there now. Thought I'd show ye, simply because it's a nice study of the eggs.

 

 

Swallows in the Making

nice from lttle acorns do mighty oaks grow

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

I've just sat here, with a calander and some swift, mental arithmatic and worked this out; It seems like the incubation period for a swallows egg is actually very close to the seventeen days mark! Because look what I found yesterday:

 

 

First Hatchling!

 

 

Yeah. I know. I couldn't work out what the hell's going on there either! But it's a chick. And there's only the four eggs now. Probably another little bugger breaking out down there even as I type this?

 

Anyway, I'll give them some more time to sort their shit out now. Then I'll hold the camera above the nest and we'll see what else goes on in there

 

Interesting to note how she seems to have brought far more (hens) feathers in, in the lead up to the hatchings. Also surprising how far she must have gone to collect them. I'd always sort of accepted that, when they flew past my cottage, they were just circling, like they do. That shows me that they were more than likely off on a very deliberate, couple of hundred yard mission; To get feathers from my neighbours hen pens.

 

Learning all the time here

[zek 0]

Managed to get a nice shot of what must be her full clutch today. Five eggs in there now. Thought I'd show ye, simply because it's a nice study of the eggs.

 

 

Swallows in the Making

 

 

Thanks - boy do those shots take me back down memory lane to the barns around home. I haven't seen inside a swallows nest since then (25 years).

 

Zek.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Rod Hull; Eat ye f*cking heart out!

 

 

'Day 34'

 

Took that one on monday

[elisderyn 496]

Brilliant..................

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

And they're up!

 

 

'Day 37'

 

 

Now, I can only make out the four in this shot. I've just been down there to feed my 'stock and again I could only see four. So it looks like one of the five eggs possibly didn't make it? I don't know though. Obviously, I snatched this shot from a horizontal plane 'looking' across the nest, rather than my usual effort at shooting down into it. Maybe number five's just at the back or something?

 

Interestingly, I now also notice how the parent birds tend to get a little hysterical when they find me in there? Untill now they've simply spotted me and f*cked off. Now they scream their heads off and seem to be warning eachother, even in mid flight, of my presence. Weird.

 

Suffice to say I happily have very little business in that shed right now. I only need to pop in there twice a day, both visits within ten minutes of each other. So they'll get all the stress free time they need

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

'Day 44'

 

 

Took this one yesterday evening. Doing alright, aren't they? There's plenty of rafters and things in that shed, for when they finally hop out of the nest and begin spying on the world below, so they'll be quite safe then too. Sort of CCTV for isolated, rural locations, young swallows, aren't they? No matter where ye are in the modern world; Some b*stard's watching ye every move!

 

Oh! I almost forgot; There Are five in there! I got less decent shots but they clearly showed Five. Again, only four present themselves in this, better focused, shot. But yeppers; All five eggs hatched and all five young are doing great

[T.F.Student 0]

Great to see Ditch A pair took up residence in a friends stable last week, the first since it went up years ago.

[Guest MOLLY]

Silly birds have made a nest literally just 1.5ft above me in my coal shed. Im loathed to light the fire at the mo incase i disturb her....will she still sit on her eggs with me shoveling coal, cos its bloody freezing here again today.

MOLL.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

TF; There's just telling what makes them tick, mate. My cow shed's fairly well set with old nests, so they've obviously used that for some time hence. Why they now decided to ignore so many ledges and beams in there and stick one to a wall in the little 'stock shed? God alone knows.

 

But, to expand on all that; Last year they started building a big house, ground up, down the road from here. One day, as I stood talking to the building lads, I noticed a pair flighting in and out of a top window hole!

 

Now, over here they run a basic house structure up pdq. Those birds must've pretty much got back from Africa. Seen the open, unframed window and took to it on the spot! Of course, their efforts were doomed. Once the windows went in they'd have been shafted. Now the proper owners have been in residence for months and this years birds must have found somewhere else. Plenty of places for them.

 

 

Moll; I'd just ignore her completely and get on with ye own daily life. And I do mean ignore. If she doesn't think ye've noticed her, she should sit tight. Eye contact followed by an approach is what seems to spook birds on their nests. Though, once they're sitting tight, ut can be a struggle to get them off that nest, no matter what! But I'm sure - like mine - they'll be just fine if ye don't directly trouble them

[Guest MOLLY]

Thanks Ditchy.........time to thaw out now then

MOLL.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

They're up! Day '54' from the start of nest building and today the nest is empty and the sky above me is full of swallows! And I don't mind admitting; It's one hell of a bitter sweet thing. My babys have flown the nest and I miss them already!

 

Oh! That was one of them there! Just glanced out the window and saw one whizz by with his broad little tail! I'm figuring he must be the youngest bacause, when I searched them just now, all seemed to have proper 'swallow' tails whilst this one has a more martin like tail. I think I'll call him " Spit " !

 

Christ almighty, it's like an arial 'dog fight' out there! I could give ye a running commentary as they dart and wheel about my air space! Oh; Now they're gone. Must be over head? Or has this drizzly shower driven them to seek shelter in the outbuildings? Maybe even back in their once crowded nest? No! Back in view again. Great!

 

Well, one small confession to make ~ though it's a good thing to have learned:

 

Day before yesterday I went to take a shot of them sat with their little heads poking out around the rim of the nest. I did what I've always done and just held the camera up to them, going for an approach of about ten inches or less. Panda f*cking monium!!! There was swallows everywhere!

 

Yeppers, the sods 'exploded' and the air around me was suddenly full of swallows and Small Dog was right there with me! She's obsessed with birds and this was her big break!

 

Thank god I still managed to retain enough calm to spot the one little chap - Spit, presumably - who was just not quite ready yet. Whilst the others did a quick tour of inspection round the 'stock shed then shot out the door and into the blue yonder, Spit couldn't make it and fluttered down to the hay. Small Dog was so excited by the flash airobatics though that she missed her chance and, I'm happy to say, obeyed my sharp command to " Leave It!!! ". Thus I was able to capture Spit a bit more gently myself and pop him back in the safety of the nest.

 

What surprised me more than anything though was to find all five back in there yesterday, just as if nothing had ever happened! I'd figured they'd have got out and stayed out.

 

Anyway, me being me; I just had to try for that one last photo! Ye'll understand then why it's not the best. But I just wanted to show ye that All Five from those five eggs really have made it through

 

 

 

Day '53'

 

 

 

Off to Africa soon then. Leaving me to the rains I wish them luck and shall look foreward to their returning, next year. Hope I'm still around to greet them.