All things must end...

From now on this weblog won't show any live videocam anymore. Please enjoy earlier posts and recorded video. If you like to see al the prerecorded video's please click here. Or use the blog archive on the left to read earlier posts.

Halfway

The three young swifts are halfway their time on the nest. In about 22 days they will leave. There is a little problem with the camera at the moment. So I hope we will be able to see the next 22 days. If it turns black, technique fails us...

And that makes three!?

This morning at 9:00 am. Jorge from Madrid saw two chicks and one egg, but around 10:30 Erna and Willy reported seperately on the dutch site, that they saw 3 chicks. It seems that the last egg has come out also after 20 days. Right on scedual. Now I only have to spot them myself.
Thanks for reporting!

Two or three?

I had a very busy weekend zo I didn't had much time to watch the webcam. I realy don't know if there are two or three little swifts in the nest. Is thre any of you visitors, that had a good look at the nest, the last few days?

The first egg has come out!

Today at 10:00 am the first swiftchick is seen on the webcam.

And that makes 3

Today around 21:10 I saw a third egg. From now on one of the birds will be on the nest for about 20 days. And then we shall see if it all works out the right way.

And that makes two!

Ariëla a dutch viewer and by her own saying a fanatic swiftwebcam follower spotted the second egg around 13:45 local time. Lets make it a game. Who will spot the third egg as first. Let me know by using the "reacties".

The first egg

May 16, the first egg was suddenly seen by us here.
Willy however let us know that he saw the first egg at the 15th already. We missed it!
I wonder how many eggs it will be this year.

The first egg

May 16, the first egg was suddenly there. I wonder how many eggs it will be this year.

not the early bird...

The common swift may be famous because they fly almost their entire life, these two here are taking it easy at this time. They are often in bed till 10.00 in the morning. I don't blame them. As soon as they have little chicks there will be enough flying to do to catch some meals.

Together again

Today the second bird arrived on the nest. Fun to see how they immidiately start to "cuddle".

Here it is again!

Saturday evening, may 2th, the first bird arrived at the webcamnest. Cleaning it's feathers and waiting for the things to come. I wonder how long it takes before the second bird arrives.

First dutch sightings for 2009

The first Dutch sightings of the common swift for this year are reported on april 3 and 4 at Leidschendam and Amsterdam. Early but not impossible since the weather is very fine the last few days. So lets crank up the site for another year of The Swift webcam.(Our fifth year in a row) Join us!
If you want to receive an e-mail as the camera goes live then use the "join my maillist" link.

And they are gone...

The season of 2008 has come to an end. 2 fullgrown young have left the nest around july 21st. Till july 28, the parents slept on the nest at night.
Maybe next year another episode of the swiftwebcam.

If you like to receave a warning email when the camera will be online again at the end of April 2009? Then click here and you will receive a message.

A swifts timing

The young birds are getting some fuzzy feathers. At this time both parents can go out to hunt for food. The young will be more often allone on the nest at daytime.

Swifts lay their eggs with intervals of about 24 to 30 hours. as long as there are more eggs to come, they won't hatch their eggs. So at the time a parent is on the nest for a longer stay, the hatching is started. This way the egg's will come out at more or less the same time. And after 42 days the young will leave the nest together. Mum and Dad will then stay at night at the nest for several days before they also leave for Africa.
We once had a 'late' chick that was born a few days after the others. That one left the nest a few days later than it's brothers and sisters. But for now I'm rather sure that their is no third egg or young.

Two or three

Visitor Jasmijn just saw clearly two little swifts in the nest. But nevertheless, two years ago when the birds got a little bigger, there suddenly was a third one.

There it is...

A bit earlier as espected: the young birds are there. Difficult to see if it are two or three young. Who can tell me?

Hatching

From last sunday the birds are hatching their eggs. Around 14 or 15 june the chicks will be out of their egg. At daytime one at a time one of the birds is at the nest. In the evening both birds are posing in front of the camera. I didn't manage to see if there is a third egg. Did you manage to see it during one of your visits? Let me know.

And that makes two

This afternoon a second egg was visible. Want to be informed about "important" things that happen at the nest? Put yourself on the maillist bij clicking the "join my maillist" link at the left column. Over 100 people did it before you.

There it is: the first egg.

And there it is: The first egg. Three days earlier than last year. Although they arrived much later (april 19th in 2007, April 27th in 2008)
And it never was that visible in front of the camera. As if they know that lots of people are interested in their family life.