Burton Swift Watch - Thursday 27th July 2017 and week

Checking out the Swifts down Main Street - Wed 2nd August 2017 - 2030hrs

11 birds in total recorded. One entry into front of Royal Cottage when going past on return one leaving Royal Cottage and quickly followed by another entering. A established site already recorded. (B.Yorke)

Checking out the Swifts down Main Street - Tues 1st August 2017 2030hrs

28 birds (minimum) hawking the skies between Memorial Hall and Manor House (B.Yorke)

Checking out the Swifts down Main Street - Mon 31st July 2017 2015hrs

24 birds hawking the skies mainly over Neddy Hill, Royal and Manor areas (B.Yorke)

Checking out the Swifts down Main Street - Sun 30th July 2017 2040hrs

34 birds mainly over Memorial Hall, Neddy Hill, Cocking Yard and Royal.  Also even more birds down above the Manor House (B.Yorke)

Checking out the Swifts down Main Street - Sat 29th July 2017 2000hrs 

7 birds to count (B.Yorke)

Burton Swift Watch - Thursday 27th July 2017 - Main Street, Burton In Kendal 2000hrs to 2045hrs

Well tonight was just amazing and we counted no less than 36 birds in one counting high above the Memorial Hall and Neddy Hill areas but there could well have been more in other parts of Burton, the skies were alive with Swifts everywhere! We all felt that perhaps many young birds must have joined the party or the large "ball" of Swifts which we were witnessing. At one stage we actually saw a group of no less than 18 birds in chasing procession and screaming as they went past us - high, some very high.  Unfortunately the weather was not good and rain came in from 2030hrs so we actually curtailed our watch early, but what a fabulous spectacle.

It's obviously getting very close to the leaving dates and I do intend to try and get out daily to do a rough count and hopefully try and assess just how many are still with us in the skies.  Its the only way to find out the actual depart days and then it is only a "indication".

We are still having a meet up next week because usually its during the first week in August that most of the birds will depart but like only two years ago the bulk of the birds decided to leave us on 28th July 2015.

Tonight's observers included: David Craig, Reg Hesketh and Bryan Yorke.

The next Swift watch will be next Thursday 3rd August 2017 - Meeting at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs - Everyone Welcome  

Burton Swift Watch - Thursday 20th July 2017 week

Burton Swift Watch - Thr 20th July 2017 - 2000hrs "Burton Memorial Hall"

We were invited to attend the monthly meeting of the Parish Council held at the Burton Memorial Hall to address the Council (prior to their meeting) on the status of Swifts in our village. We were well supported.  I did manage to outline a brief description of the Swift and a summary of the migration routes and details. I also then gave a summary of the birds we have in Burton, the numbers and the nest sites and current activity of the birds, and also explained briefly our purpose of counting and observing, also mentioned about our affiliation to the "Swifts In The Community" and the bigger picture of our findings which are also being used by the BTO (birdtrack) for surveys together with the information being of interest for considerations in respect to future building and planning applications etc.

It also gave us the opportunity to mention that we would love it if the Swift conservation side could be considered on future building activity within the Village. I did also show them a sample of a Swift brick and other ideas which could be incorporated within buildings of old or new builds.  We all got the impression that we were well received, and without doubt the meeting seemed quite successful.

So moving on we met outside of the Memorial Hall from 2000hrs to observe the Swifts, but it was going to be one of those nights with very little seen. It was a little cooler this evening with a build in the wind and most of the birds we did see seemed quite high.   We did see up to five birds from there so we shortly moved on a little and did short observations from both opposite the Royal Cottage and then further along Main Street to opposite the Coaching House and the Manor. We did see a bird entering and shortly after leaving one of the already established nest sites on the Royal Cottage.  Also we did have a Swift enter one of the established nest sites on the front of the Manor House.  Whilst stood across from the Manor we did manage to get our aerial swift numbers up to seven so we presumed more birds had come back in from their outbound foraging!  On leaving and heading back some of us noticed that even more birds had arrived back and we did manage to count up to eleven birds high above Neddy Hill.

Tonight's observers included:  Mary Bullimore, David Craig, Kathryn, Hugh and Sue Miles, Angela Sumner and Bryan Yorke.

The next Swift watch will be next Thursday 27th July 2017 - Meeting at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs - Everyone Welcome  

Burton Swift Watch - Thursday 13th July 2017 and week

Tuesday 18th July 2017 - Main Street - 0800hrs

Whilst passing through the village I noticed quite a lot of birds in fact I would say there must have been no less than 40 but could well have been more.  They were very active and feeding up at low levels. Plenty of chasing going on. Probably the best quantitive I have seen in the village now for some time.

Mon 17th July 2017 - Ducketts - Builders Office, Clawthorpe Hall, Burton In Kendal 1200hrs to 1220hrs

Just did a short watch over about 20 minutes today and counted four aerial birds, so with sitters I would imagine we must have at least three nest sites yet again at Clawthorpe Hall.  It can be a tricky place to count because also there are plenty of House Martins and Swallows nesting there. At one stage there were literally scores of mixed hirundines and Swifts together and why do you think this was? I could hear a Peregrine and when I looked up you could see a adult with a young bird calling almost continually to the adult bird. So you can guess the commotion we had.  But it was strange because the skies were almost empty and yet within seconds there seemed to be birds everywhere!!


Burton Swift Watch -Thr 13th July 2017 - Main Street, Burton In Kendal 2000hrs to 2115hrs

We met at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs, it was cooler with more wind about and yet the birds still managed to be at high altitudes, yet we still had good numbers of Swifts in the skies and did manage to count no less than 22 aerial birds at one point, but there could well have been more.  Whilst stood at various watching points (Memorial Hall, Opposite the Royal Cottage and opposite the Manor House) we had small parties of birds low and screaming.  We did have one party with nine birds chasing one another, it was a pleasure to see them.
We did see activity on the front of the Royal Cottage (low elevation) and also on the Manor House with birds entering or leaving their nest sites. One of the remaining two sites we were still missing birds on the Royal has now been confirmed, so all in all now we have just the one site on the Royal that has still to be confirmed. We do seem to have caught up nicely with occupation numbers although after saying that we are still down at the three sites on the Coaching House (one at the front and/or the two 2016 sites on the gable side.  We have as yet not been able to confirm occupation at any of these sites.

Everyone enjoyed the watch which was observed tonight by: David Craig, Reg Hesketh, Hugh and Sue Miles, Angela Sumner and Bryan Yorke.

We have been invited by the Parish Council to give a short talk about the Swifts and other birds in Burton prior to the Parish Council Meeting next Thursday evening (20th) and should anyone be interested they are most welcome to attend and this will take place at 1900hrs at the Memorial Hall.

The next Swift watch will be next Thursday 20th July 2017 - Meeting at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs - Everyone Welcome  

Burton Swift Watch - Thursday 6th July 2017 week

Burton Swift Watch - Thr 6th July 2017 - Main Street, Burton In Kendal 2000hrs to 2130hrs

We met at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs and already Swifts were flying in the skies above us, we counted a maximum of at least 13 birds and then later we had a further 10 or so over the Coaching House/Manor House areas.  Then on our way back through we counted at least 20 birds over Neddy Hill area.  So we estimate somewhere between 20 and 25 birds in total.  In fact it was lovely to see the birds back just like they used to be after their recent low numbers on our counts, we do think that for some reason they have been travelling outside of the village to get insects and reports have come in of lots of Swifts being seen over at Leighton Moss and on a regular daily basis over Dockacres fishing pools.

We have been reliably informed by Jane that a new site has been noted from within Cocking Yard which brings the number of sites up to three there. Tonight we saw Swifts entering sites at the low elevation cottage on the front of the Royal from two separate sites.  Also tonight we did record birds on the Manor House at least four separate sites of which one site is a new site on the front low elevation, although we did suspect birds here a few weeks ago.  It was also pleasing to see that Swifts did eventually take back there original site on the gable end corner, which had for a few weeks presented a problem for the birds having been occupied by some Starling families.  So perhaps these birds will be very late raising their chicks and may well go into the middle of August before dispersal.

It was great seeing the birds in numbers again, and several parties of fours, sixes etc seemed to be enjoying themselves chasing one another and screaming like Swifts do.

Tonight's observers included: David Craig, Reg Hesketh, Hugh and Sue Miles and Bryan Yorke. 

The next Swift watch will be next Thursday 13th July 2017 - Meeting at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs - Everyone Welcome