Just the shortest of posts this morning, primarily for the benefit of certain potential readers (specifically the staff of the school opposite and the ecologists' firm surveying the school's buildings for birds and bats before giving the green light to any work there this summer).

In June's blog here, I suggested that the prospecting swifts at the school opposite, perhaps seemed to have become less interested in their new potential nest and or roost and or dry run site over the past 3 weeks or so.

ALL CHANGE suddenly.

As soon as July started, we're suddenly back to where we where in late May and early June. A squadron of up to six swifts is once again constantly overhead and constantly checking out the school nest site and to a lesser extent our house opposite too.

This recent upsurge in aerial activity corresponds very nicely with the arrival (at the start of July) of the "third wave" of visiting swifts.

The 3rd wave comprising almost entirely of yearling birds, making an exploratory trip north from Africa well after their parents and grandparents and perhaps great grandparents flew north (to breed or seriously prospect) and then back down south to Africa with the main body of swifts.

That said, the way these 6 or so swifts are doing exactly what 6 or so swifts did at the end of May/start of June, suggests to me that they are, at least in the main, the same birds. Not yearlings, but 2 year old birds at their youngest and perhaps 3 at their oldest.

Whatever their age  -  to anyone interested (see above) reading this - there is once again a great deal of swift activity in and around the building that you did provisionally plan to re-roof in the school summer holidays, before I warned all parties that protected birds were prospecting and or nesting in that very building.

Please note. We are keeping a very keen eye on matters from across the road - but if any interested parties *do* require any more information - well... you know how to contact me - I'd be more than happy to hear from you.

That's all for now.

TBR.