marsh man Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Morning all........Have anyone on here seen any Swifts yet, or is it a bit early or a bit late, I would have thought with the nice weather we have had lately one or two would have been seen by now................Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerSim Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Not seen any up here yet... always look forward to their return - me barns are "alive" don't think I am surprised tho, as, it is still pretty cold overnight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fse10 Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Only seen two & it's been warm & loads of little flys about so thought would have seen a few more by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSS Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Not seen any up here yet... always look forward to their return - me barns are "alive" don't think I am surprised tho, as, it is still pretty cold overnight... I'm probably wrong but I highly doubt you get swifts in your barns. They live on the wing, the nests are normally built up very high off the ground. It's almost impossible for them to take off from near to the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) I'm probably wrong but I highly doubt you get swifts in your barns. They live on the wing, the nests are normally built up very high off the ground. It's almost impossible for them to take off from near to the ground No you are absolutely right, their legs are not long enough to propel them into the air. and once alighted they generally flounder. I've picked up two swifts in my lifetime and launched them into the air again They will nest in barn roof timbers though, especially if the access through the roof tiles or eaves is available. They nest in roofs and crevices in buidlings and occasionally cliffs. Before the advent of roof sarking, wind and rain was kept out of stone and clay rooftiles by torching which is a dung mix or lime mortar applied to seal the gaps to the back of the roofing battens. Swifts used to exploit the gaps in the roof tiles and pull away the torching to nest on rafter and purlin joints or on the top of the wall at eaves level. Now they struggle to find adequate nesting sites in many modern roofs which is why this organisation is so important. http://www.swift-conservation.org/ A Swift spends its whole life on the wing apart from when it is incubating...Mating, sleeping, feeding and even collecting nest materials like feathers on the wing. I saw a Swift once at 27 thousand feet when I flew to America a few years back. They are a quite remarkable bird, a young bird will fly non stop for three years !!! after fledging and I've never considered summer to be with us until I've heard them screaming around the village where I live, in the early evening after a warm summers day. Edited May 6, 2014 by Fisherman Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted May 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 No you are absolutely right, their legs are not long enough to propel them into the air. and once alighted they generally flounder. I've picked up two swifts in my lifetime and launched them into the air again They will nest in barn roof timbers though, especially if the access through the roof tiles or eaves is available. They nest in roofs and crevices in buidlings and occasionally cliffs. Before the advent of roof sarking, wind and rain was kept out of stone and clay rooftiles by torching which is a dung mix or lime mortar applied to seal the gaps to the back of the roofing battens. Swifts used to exploit the gaps in the roof tiles and pull away the torching to nest on rafter and purlin joints or on the top of the wall at eaves level. Now they struggle to find adequate nesting sites in many modern roofs which is why this organisation is so important. http://www.swift-conservation.org/ A Swift spends its whole life on the wing apart from when it is incubating...Mating, sleeping, feeding and even collecting nest materials like feathers on the wing. I saw a Swift once at 27 thousand feet when I flew to America a few years back. They are a quite remarkable bird, a young bird will fly non stop for three years !!! after fledging and I've never considered summer to be with us until I've heard them screaming around the village where I live, in the early evening after a warm summers day. A very interesting answer Fisherman Mike.........Thanks for that, can you tell me if it is right that when the weather is cold and the Swifts have young the parents will go down as far as the Med to get feed while the young ones go in semi hibernation , I seam to think I heard it on our local radio station by Chris Skinner on Radio Norfolk..........Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason kaye Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 I've been seeing them around here for the last two weeks, not in great numbers yet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk dumpling Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Seen a few yesterday when out for a long walk. Lot of flys about now temperature up s few degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Theres a few around the farm now, been watching them this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 there was a couple here for the first time this morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 A very interesting answer Fisherman Mike.........Thanks for that, can you tell me if it is right that when the weather is cold and the Swifts have young the parents will go down as far as the Med to get feed while the young ones go in semi hibernation , I seam to think I heard it on our local radio station by Chris Skinner on Radio Norfolk..........Thanks for your help. I have heard this myself and there may indeed be some credence in it and I understand this to be so at times of extreme cold or when insect life is scarce locally...which is possibly why numbers have generally been stronger in in the southern and south western regions of the country. Swifts will also readily eject clutches in prolonged periods of poor weather. Swift do feed their young as frequently as most birds and they produce what's called a bolas of insects in a pouch in their throat. There is still much that we don't know about this amazing bird. The following links are worth reading. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/series7/swifts.shtml http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/swift/feeding.aspx http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/swift.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnage Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Do the Maltese trap Swifts, or are they safe as they fly so high ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Do the Maltese trap Swifts, or are they safe as they fly so high ? Anything within range is shot including swallows and swifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Merkel Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 We saw 8 or so Monday afternoon at Brundall Bay marina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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