My favourite bird of all.

The swift (of course).

I have had to write off any chance of breeding swifts this year in my "swift palace" (built in our new attic over the winter) as all breeding swifts in the UK are certainly here now and well into their breeding season.

But.... I do know a little about swifts (some of you may know) and I do appreciate that whilst the breeders are breeding, parties of late-arriving birds can be seen at present in our skies  and these birds can often be seen screaming 'round our houses in the early morning and late evening, "buzzing" breeders' territories and nest sites.

These small parties (maybe 3 or 4 birds maximum) of young, non-breeding swifts (I've always referred to them as "raiding parties") are checking out nest sites or potential nest sites for future years.

This also happens in late July, when swifts tend to fledge and begin thinking about their track back to the Congo for the winter.

Before they leave, good numbers of swifts seem to feed up and recce the surrounding land for nest sites for their return in 9 months time.

I haven't had my swift call CD playing all day for a few weeks now (its been terrible weather, all breeding swifts are here and breeding and the raiders hadn't arrived, or so I thought).

I have today off work and on finishing a morning run, I noticed two swifts checking out a house up the road (I've seen this before but perhaps not in such an urgent fashion).

I raced upstairs and popped the swift CD on at full volume (Anna is at work today, so it didnt disturb her!) and within minutes three or of four swifts were checking out our soffits, fascias and gutters (though NOT the entrance to my swift palace, which I've installed on what I refer to as the "gable end" of our house (just above the *cough* "upper paddock").

As I've mentioned, these birds will be what I call "raiders" although a better term might be "prospectors".

I'm pretty sure that a pair of swifts breeds a few doors up the road and I'm beginning to get more hopeful now that some interest has been taken in our house, that in future years (maybe next year - who knows?) we will have our own swifts back with us -  the new palace and HD camera is already in place for when that happens....

One further point to note about swifts, whilst I'm on the subject....

Two years ago, BTO scientists fitted swifts with tiny geolocators to track their migration to and from Africa and the UK each year.

Some pretty impressive results are now in and mapped and the study makes for fascinating reading (particularly if you are as obsessed with these wee birds as I am!)

I was particularly interested to note that:

a) The first swift migration map was produced by a swift named "A320" which is also one of my main roads to work each day.

b) Swifts can make their spring migration from west Africa back to the UK (5,000km) in as little as 5 days!

c) A large proportion of swifts actually do overwinter in the Democratic republic of Congo (I wasn't just making THIS up!)

d) Before heading to the UK in earnest, some swifts seem to "refuel" for a good week, in Liberia.

Swifts are beautifully enigmatic but this BTO study is shedding some fascinating light on the little-known migratory habits of this amazing bird.