Swifts II

Not sure how long I should wait before feeling confident that at least one, possibly two of the nesting boxes, will be used this year.

Swifts at Nesting Boxes

Swifts are still here!   They appear to be giving serious consideration to nesting here this year - and I'm thrilled!   Their flight is so fast that a really good photograph of that is not anticipated, but practice will continue.   This morning I saw two Swifts enter one of the boxes about 3 seconds apart and I didn't see them come back out!

Swifts in the Garden

Last year I had two Swift boxes installed on the chimney breast, and also have an MP3 player with Swift sounds on it.   The sounds play during daylight hours to attract Swifts to look at the nesting boxes.   Absolutely nothing happened last year and I had been warned by Dick Newell that Swifts choose a long straight flight to the boxes, and I don't have that for them!

Imagine my absolute joy when today I've had several Swifts prospecting!!   I think I counted up to 5 at any one time and these are the images I was able to take first thing.   I also saw a Swift exiting from a nesting hole three times - but of course don't know whether it was the same Swift.

If they think this is a 'des res' there will be more postings, of that I can be sure!

Ennerdale Water, October 2018, Lake District

I'm still putting books of photographs together so certain images will be interspersed here.

Overhangs

It's disconcerting to see how easily a young squirrel tackles an overhang.   A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker adopted a similar pose!

Pied Wagtail - Ely Cathedral

I did take just a very few more photographs of Peregrine but this Pied Wagtail introduces a change!  What is amazing is how a number of insects, or for different species fish, are collected in the bill before the adult returns to the nest to feed pre-fledgelings.   How come they don't fly or swim away or fall out?

Early 20th Century Pottery in Germany

I offered to take some photographs of this unique pottery which belonged to the German grandfather of someone who lives locally and is indeed a grandfather himself.    The handpainted pieces are very pleasing to look at - colour range and design, and precious to the grandfather in whose care they rest.