Today is July 15^th.

July 15^th 2014.

Eight years exactly since twitter was launched.

One hundred and ninety-nine years precisely, since Napoleon’s final surrender to the British Navy.

Exactly two hundred and fifteen years since the Rosetta Stone was discovered.

Precisely four hundred and eight years since Rembrandt was born.

Exactly nine hundred and fifteen years since the first Crusaders took the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

And precisely one thousand and forty three years since Swithun’s  (a bishop of Winchester for about 10 years in the ninth century) skeletal remains were transferred from an outdoor grave to an indoor shrine in the old minster in Winchester  - and he was venerated as a saint.  This was despite the fact that Swithun on his deathbed begged to be buried outside the north wall of Winchester old Minster so that the raindrops would fall upon his grave from the eaves above.

We all (don’t we?) know about the legend of St.Swithun’s (feast) day?

In case you don’t – whatever the weather is like on July 15^th – that’s the weather you’ll get for forty days.

(Disclaimer – since records began around 150 years ago – this has never occurred – quelle surprise. But there you go anyway).

For me, the middle of July  means the best bird of all (swifts) are almost ready to leave us again; to head back to the Congo in the case of the adults, or to the Congo for the first time, in the case of this year’s young.

Swift

By the first or second week of August, the huge majority of swifts will have left our shores, although small numbers will still be seen flying south over England as late as early September.

So I reckon we have about three weeks left with the sight and sound of summer screaming around our skies. That’s all.

But what of “my” swifts this season, so far?

To be honest, 2014 has been the most disappointing year I can remember for “my” swifts”.

Regular visitors to my old website(s) or this blog might know that my wife and I moved out of Reading (a “swift stronghold”) three years ago (almost to the day) and took up residence in a house on the northern edge of post-war Bracknell – a town that has never seen good numbers of swifts, on account of it being too young.

Last summer and the summer before, despite far-from-ideal “swift conditions” we were treated to the sight and sound of a few swifts investigating our swift boxes and nest sites drilled into our attic, all summer.

I spent all winter gone putting up more boxes and fine-tuning my swift call CD (with which to lure them out of the skies with) and was expecting a great year around our house – perhaps even nesters, as they’d been really keen to investigate all the spots I’d prepared for them for the last two years.

But alas no.

Oh sure, I’ve seen swifts over the house every day I think, since late  May – although in far fewer numbers than the previous two years – but only TWICE (that I’ve seen) have they flown around the house quite deliberately investigating the swift call CD and nest boxes/sites. And only for a few minutes,

Compare with last year (and the year before) when there were hours and hours of full-blown screaming /banging/clinging onto the walls/pushing heads into soffits etc.

A real let down – a real shame.

So what has happened?

To be honest, your guess is probably as good as mine.

You’ll probably know that swifts don’t tend to breed in post-war buildings out of choice (too tidy, no nest sites generally) and nor do they breed until they’re three years old (or older).

Our investigating (prospecting) swifts of 2012 and 2013 were young, non-breeding swifts but it doesn’t look like they’ve returned this year. For whatever reason. Perhaps they’re dead? Perhaps they found somewhere better to nest for the first time (‘though I doubt that!)?

I’ll still play the swift call CD until August, to try and persuade any birds down to prospect as they leave for Africa, ready for next year (with fingers crossed) but I am sad to report that it might be a “clean start” again next year (to attract new birds to our house), rather than a nest or two in place as I had hoped for this year, let alone next.

When we moved here after filming breeding swifts in “Swift Half” in Reading, I let “followers” know that it might take me about 5 years to attract new nesting swifts to a post-war house. That’s about average really. Next year will be four years, so I’m still ahead of my own schedule – but really had hoped for better this year – MUCH better.

What of other swifts – how have they done this year?

Unlike the previous two summers, the weather conditions for UK swifts this year have been very favourable.

2012 was a washout summer if you remember (so breeding swifts failed to find enough food for their young in many cases – and many nests failed) and 2013 was not much better. Sure – the summer was quite nice when it eventually arrived, but by that time (June basically), the swifts had been here for a month – flying around in a bitter, bitter May – finding no food and not even starting nests.

There’s little doubt that the last two summers have meant swift populations have decreased more than just as a result of lack of food (pesticides etc) and lack of breeding spaces (tidy soffits etc).

Swift sightings this year were very “up and down” for May and June. More so than previous years. The British Trust for Ornithology’s “Bird track” data shows that even more than before, sightings of swifts are decreasing year on year –and they need our help more than ever.

I just hope that the breeders this year (birds at least three years old who have quickly found nesting sites) have had a good year. I suspect they have – as I’ve mentioned, the weather this season has been great for swifts. Not too hot. Not too wet. Not too windy. Not too cold.

With that in mind, I hope for a few more young, prospecting birds back to the UK in a year. Or three?

This all sounds rather gloomy eh? I’ll not lie – I’m truly disappointed with this year, in terms of “my” swifts” – but I do have a crumb of comfort to cling to. A rather big crumb as it happens.

Three years ago, my wife and I left “swift half” after filming two successful breeding attempts by swifts in our attic. That was 2011.

My neighbour at the time was as entranced by these birds as we were, and vowed to do all he could to provide nesting sites for swifts at his pre-war house a few yards away from “Swift Half” – and film them if possible.

I’m very excited to say that he has put swift boxes up and played the swift call CD - and he has had PLENTY of interest in and around his house all summer. I’ve been watching the swifts fly around my old house, “Swift Half” as normal (really good to see, as there’s been someone living in the old attic at “Swift Half” since we left and I couldn’t guarantee “my” swifts” would breed there again after we left).

But there have also been good numbers of swifts checking out my old neighbour’s house as I’ve said.

Swifts almost invariably like to nest in the same spot that they were born in – or VERY close by. This is why it’s quite important to provide a number of swift boxes (or nest sites) if you provide one. You’ll need them if you get lucky.

As I’ve said before, swifts don’t tend to breed until they’re three years old (ish).

So... putting these facts together, I’d put A LOT of money on the fact that the swifts prospecting around my old neighbour’s house in 2014 are very PROBABLY young swifts that were born in “Swift Half” in 2011 or 2012 or perhaps even last year.

It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if two of the swifts investigating my old neighbour’s house this year were the very same two young swifts that we filmed taking their great first leap of faith at the end of July 2011. Just three years old now. But the very same birds. Know also that these birds have been to the Congo and back and to Africa again and back again and perhaps once more in these intervening years  - and they’ve not stopped flying in that time. Not at all. Not once.

I’m so glad that the “Swift half” swifts (almost certainly) are still alive and prospecting themselves. That means a hell of a lot to me. They are such wonderful things – birds that as you know now, I have become VERY attached to – especially the birds that I actually filmed being born and fledging in 2010 and 2011. All the clips are still on Youtube, HERE.

And if my old neighbour’s hopes come to fruition next summer, it might very well be “my” little swifts of 2011 (or “Swift Half” swifts anyway, perhaps 2012 birds) that finally nest with him and his wife – a few years after they leaped out of “Swift Half” for the very first time.

I’ll be as pleased as he is if that happens. Absolutely pleased as punch.

As for me, and the new “Swift Half” (in waiting).

Well.... Napoleon might have surrendered on this day, July 15^th, one hundred and ninety-nine years ago, but he was a cheese-eating surrender monkey after all.

There’ll be no surrender here.

I’ve done the hard graft and paid out all the many pounds necessary to give swifts what they should want.

All I need to do is keep going. Keep trying. Never give up.  Keep playing my swift CD, And one day, “my” swifts will be back with us...

Who knows – I may be surprised next summer (if we’re still here) and on the two-hundredth anniversary of Napoleon’s surrender – I might just be reporting on a new “Swift Half” nest.

Hey. I’m still within my five year prediction (even next year) aren’t I?

And nothing good ever came easy.....

For now though – we have maybe three or perhaps four weeks with the sound and sight of summer (swifts) all around us.

And then they’ll be gone for nine long months.

I intend to fully make the most of the next few weeks then.

Absolutely.

Cloud burst