SWALLOWS, SUMMER STORMS AND NESTBOX CAMERA WORKING!

I’m not sure how it happened, but the nestbox camera is now working again and it’s revealed the house sparrow chicks, although mainly in voice rather than in pictures.

The nest has been built on top of the blue tit nest and is so high up in the nestbox, that it obscures most of the view afforded by the camera.

Luckily, through the nest material you can sometimes make out movement from the chicks, a visit from the parents and the odd wide chick gape – look to the left hand side of the image below.

 

But most of all you can hear them chirping away, particularly when the parent birds arrive.

Now I know the chicks are fairly big, I’m attempted to move the material covering the camera and see if a better image can be provided. Here's the result.

 

The weather this weekend has been awful, with Sunday bringing autumn-like conditions. The good thing is this should be a one-off day of weather and warmer conditions should return next week.

It’s good news for the house sparrow chicks too, as they should be ready to fledge in about 3-5 days and will be strong enough to withstand the odd day of heavy rain, high winds and cool temperatures.

House sparrows around my garden and the close vicinity appear to be in high numbers, with a number of freshly fledged youngsters filling the air with unsteady flight and incessant calling to their parents for food.

I’ve also had a visit from a blue tit family, although whether it’s the same one that used the camera nestbox, I’m not sure.

The swallows and swifts appear to have had a good year as I’ve not seen them in such huge numbers for a few years.

In the evening, and sometimes the morning, the airwaves are filled with swallow songs, with the swifts often appearing alongside their fast flying cousins.

Swallows are one of my top three birds, along with peregrine falcons and ospreys, so to see them is probably my favourite vision and sound of our springs and summers.

The robins, blackbirds, great tits, dunnocks and magpies are heard rather than seen at the moment, although I do get fleeting glances of them from time to time.

Let’s hope as summer progresses that the small birds continue to raise more youngsters and those that fledge come to visit my garden in due course.

But most of all let’s hope that summer delivers some sun and conditions that favour a successful breeding season to make up for last year.