The breeding birds at my house, which failed this year, were last seen on the evening of 2nd August.

Each year I put up a swift “poo-shelf’” below the eaves to protect our conservatory roof, so can easily see if any young have defecated from the nest, which they do when old enough to move around. No sign of any droppings this year, but found two dead, dessicated, unfeathered young on it at the end of June.

For photo click on this link https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dg3Mb89XcAEZ_R8.jpg

Last weekend we had up to 50 Swift circulating over the house (Ilminster) - we had an ant eruption !  Today there are none visible - have they gone ?  Similar time to last year, though we did get groups sporadically passing through during August.

I would advise caution with breeding success; Swifts have a 9 week period from egg laying to fledging (19 days incubation + 6 to 8 wks to fledging) so unless eggs laid 8th May (as soon as they arrived) unlikely to see fledged juvs this early. Both nests under my eaves have failed this year, yet 24 Swifts zooming around the house y’day evening, when previously a max of 12.

Flocks of no more than four Swifts this year, in Chipstable.  Thinking it was a low year.  Until two days ago, when suddenly a flock of 27!  That’s some breeding success rate!  (Perhaps I was seeing separate flocks of four earlier in the season??)

Great to see a tight flock of 15 Swifts using the sky above my garden in Westhay as a racetrack this morning. They were covering a circle about 50 metres in diameter and screaming at the tops of their voices so I can only assume that they were just enjoying themselves. There are always a few nests in the village and it seems that they have been successful this year.