Saturday 19 August 2017

2017 BURTON SWIFT RECORDS (Summary)





2017

Presumed nest site activity recorded at: 

1.  Clawthorpe Hall Offices (Messrs Ducketts) 3 pairs presumed (not confirmed) (3 pairs)
2.  Front elevation of the small cottages attached to the Post Office - 2 pairs recorded (2 pairs)
3.  Three pairs suspected within Cocking Yard.  (3 pairs)
4.  Royal Hotel rear annexe and return 4 pairs nested (4 pairs)
5.  Royal Hotel cottage front elevation 5 pairs recorded (5 pairs)
6.  The Coaching House - all elevations - no birds recorded this year.
7.  Manor House - 5 sites on Gable, and Main front and Cottage - 5 sites this year (5 pairs)

Please check out photos below which relate to the above sites.

Total nest sites which we suspect nesting 

22 nest sites in total.  Showing a decrease of nest sites this year by one site.
Young raised this year purely estimated on the low side of 2 per nest less 20% approx = 35 birds.
Breeding adults estimate at 2 per nest site - 44 birds - Chicks raised estimate 35 birds - estimated immature birds 20.  Making a estimated total birds involved with Burton Village eg: Parents, Chicks and Immatures on Recci could have been as many as 90 birds (estimated)

Arrivals and Departure dates

The first 6 birds arrived back on Friday 5th May at 1700hrs, this increased to 10 birds by 1900 on the following evening, and increased by a further 15 by 1200hrs the following day the 7th May.

The first large departure was on Sunday 6th August 2017 when the majority of birds left, this was followed by a second large departure of at least 20 birds on Friday 11th August, followed by a further 8 birds on Sunday 13th August.  The last bird seen was a single bird on territory and flying high over the Kings on the evening of 17th August 2017.

Highest number of birds counted at any one time was:

46 recorded on the Swift night on Thursday 3rd August 2017.

Observers over the 12 weeks included: 

Mary Bullimore, David Craig, Judith and Edward Ellis, Reg Hesketh, Branwen Kilburn, Hugh and Sue Miles, Jane Phillips, Angela Sumner, Bryan Yorke,

Below are photos showing the various nest sites with their histories marked in red

CLAWTHORPE HALL (Messrs Ducketts) NEST SITES MARKED IN RED

Please click over photos to enlarge


COTTAGE ON POST OFFICE ROW (below)


Cottages on the Post Office Row (Click over to enlarge)


"COCKING YARD" (below)

This is "Hangings Farm" in Cocking Yard a really good site used in all years since 2013.
We also suspect two further nest sites have been used in Cocking Yard during 2017
(Click over the photo to enlarge)

ROYAL HOTEL and REAR ANNEXE and COTTAGE (below)


Royal Hotel - Rear Annexe and showing the return (Click over to enlarge)

This is the Royal Hotel "Cottage" a low elevation showing all the nest sites.
(Click over photo to enlarge)

THE COACHING HOUSE (Below)


" The Coaching House" (Click over to enlarge)
Sadly although we cannot be sure, we never saw any sites being used on this building during 2017



"The Manor House" and the Cottage (Click over to enlarge)

Although two of the regular sites were not used this year (as far as we know) you may notice two new sites
 - one on the front by the drainpipe and also one new one on the small cottage.


Thanks to everyone who came along this year and enjoyed the Swifts and I look forward to next year when we hope the birds will be back flying above our village from the 4th May 2018

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