So far so good. If I must believe the yahoo lists, I'm very fortunate, some persons have not yet seen anything while I can claim to have seen them almost every day.
21 April, I went back to Apus College and saw 7 and finally one flew into a nest. Not a nestbox, but where the roof and wall meets. The building is old and has lots of secret places for swifts to nest. This swift I have seen before as one of the early arrivals. First time I saw it I was not sure I really saw it and when I went back the next day, I kept watching that place and indeed it flew into it. Early bird!
The same evening I saw another swift flew into a nestbox at 71 Plein street.
Already 2 coming home!
24 April, I heard them for the first time while working in the garden!
25 April I stood out in the street before my house and saw 2, then 5 and then another 2.
30 April, while planting flowers I bought earlier, I heard them above me and when I went outside - unfortunately to see my boxes I must stand outside in the street - I saw straight away numerous swifts flying. They were not high, not drifting off to a distant destination, they were in the area known to them. The weather was much warmer and not windy, just right for them to play in the sky above home territory.
At about 20:35 I saw one flew in at 10 Rega street. It needed a second time round to find the right angle.
1 May the weather was not so pleasant as the day before, a rather cold wind was blowing through the street. Even on beautiful days there can be a cold draft, you only get to know all these inconvenientcies when you've stood long enough waiting and watching swifts.
Mine are not back yet.
Monday 2 May 2011
Thursday 21 April 2011
The 2011 season is open!
The anticipation is over, they are back!
Lately the mailing lists were buzzing with the first sightings of the Common Swifts returning. I admit to being a bit jealous when all around me sightings of swifts appear, you almost feel blind.
Monday at dusk I went to the Abbey. There are wide open fields and the noise of the city is much less, so it's a great area to spot birds. Nada!
Yesterday I stayed at home and for sure LP saw his first swift/s, so I had to go out tonight.
The best place is still the Pope's College, where the biggest colony for Leuven is situated, so there I went tonight. Pope's College
The best time to go look for them is just before dusk. A swift needs to see where its nesthole is located. It is not always the best visible spot on a wall.
I arrived at Apus College at 20:00 and decided to stay till 20:45. My expectation was that I won't see anything, then 45 min is a long time, but that's what I usually spent in watching a suspected nestsite.
At 20:20 I had a flash sighting. It was such a quick sighting, I could just make out that it was a swift before it disappeared behind a tree and even though I moved round I could not see it. 5 Mins later I saw another or the same swift. Now it was gliding through the air, a great sighting! I have seen my first swift of the 2011 season.
The Pope's College which is not a college but a dorm for male students, has a big courtyard where the most swiftnests are. Usually I stand on the side of Deberiot street. There are also a number of nests. Standing here I saw my first swift tonight and shortly after it has left I saw 4 more swifts.
To keep watching them I switched to the courtyard where I eventually lost track of them. With the idea that the evening went quite well, I walked back to Deberiot street side where my bicycle was. Just before I reached my bicycle I noticed two more!
It was getting better and better.
Being on the outside of the college I watched them circle above it. They came lower and lower and then went down like an arrow, first the one and soon afterwards, the other. I can swear they went down to their nests.
Tomorrow I'll take up position in the courtyard!
Lately the mailing lists were buzzing with the first sightings of the Common Swifts returning. I admit to being a bit jealous when all around me sightings of swifts appear, you almost feel blind.
Monday at dusk I went to the Abbey. There are wide open fields and the noise of the city is much less, so it's a great area to spot birds. Nada!
Yesterday I stayed at home and for sure LP saw his first swift/s, so I had to go out tonight.
The best place is still the Pope's College, where the biggest colony for Leuven is situated, so there I went tonight. Pope's College
The best time to go look for them is just before dusk. A swift needs to see where its nesthole is located. It is not always the best visible spot on a wall.
I arrived at Apus College at 20:00 and decided to stay till 20:45. My expectation was that I won't see anything, then 45 min is a long time, but that's what I usually spent in watching a suspected nestsite.
At 20:20 I had a flash sighting. It was such a quick sighting, I could just make out that it was a swift before it disappeared behind a tree and even though I moved round I could not see it. 5 Mins later I saw another or the same swift. Now it was gliding through the air, a great sighting! I have seen my first swift of the 2011 season.
The Pope's College which is not a college but a dorm for male students, has a big courtyard where the most swiftnests are. Usually I stand on the side of Deberiot street. There are also a number of nests. Standing here I saw my first swift tonight and shortly after it has left I saw 4 more swifts.
To keep watching them I switched to the courtyard where I eventually lost track of them. With the idea that the evening went quite well, I walked back to Deberiot street side where my bicycle was. Just before I reached my bicycle I noticed two more!
It was getting better and better.
Being on the outside of the college I watched them circle above it. They came lower and lower and then went down like an arrow, first the one and soon afterwards, the other. I can swear they went down to their nests.
Tomorrow I'll take up position in the courtyard!
Monday 28 March 2011
Barn swallow
Today I saw my first Barn swallow for this season at Abdij van Park, it was flying over. Unfortunately I don't know my south from my north and can't say in which direction it was flying. From where I stood it flew into the sun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)