Burton Swifts - Thursday 6th June 2019 watch
Tonight I would say was perhaps the best night so far for both activity and recording nesting sites. The weather was clear and warm and we can imagine it creating a large mass of insects at moderate altitudes. We counted approx 15 birds in and around the Memorial Hall and a further 8 birds in and around the Manor House/Coaching House areas. We did suspect that non-breeding birds could well have swelled the numbers. There were plenty of screaming chasing parties with one party up to 8 birds. At times some of the birds flew low eg: below the Main Street telephone wires. We did notice on the Manor House that birds (up to 3 in the party) but one in particular was investigating a hole on the front of the House as though perhaps canvassing for a site for next year! it checked out this hole on two separate occasions and held itself at the hole entrance for several seconds before flying off again.
Also we did well this evening with 2019 nesting sites, we had a pair of birds seen to go into a new eaves sites on the post office block, just inches away from the two old established nest sites. Also we had a further two birds seen going into two (regular) sites on the front of the Royal Cottage, bring this front elevation up to 4 sites already this year and not forgetting the 3 sites on the rear already recorded. We were eager to start seeing some activity at the Manor House and Coaching House, well as far as the Manor House our watch paid off and before long we saw a single bird going into the gable end corner, also on the front elevation of the Manor House we saw another bird going into a eaves site one metre from the left hand corner (a established site) and we were lucky enough to see yet another bird again using the eaves at the left hand side of the lower annexed building to the right hand of the main building.
12 Nest sites already recorded being used (2019) are:
Post Office buildings - 1
Hangings Farm - 1
Royal Cottage rear and return - 3
Royal Cottage front - 4
Manor House Gable and front elevation - 3
Tonights observers included: Reg Hesketh, Branwen Kilburn and Bryan Yorke
The next Swift watch will be next Thursday 13th June 2019 - Meeting at the Memorial Hall at 2000hrs - Everyone Welcome