A beautiful afternoon for some wetland management with a great team. Super effort 👌 💪 🙂 Sections of reeds cut and bullrush managed to allow space for the winter rains and encourage the diversity of marginal wetland plants. 🌾💦🌱 Egrets, buzzards, herons, woodpecker and kestrel kept us company ♥️ 🐦

Sharing from Hannah Bourne-Taylor: Next week Peers will vote for or against Swift bricks. To help Swifts, please email 📨 [email protected] 📨[email protected] who are both crucial to the decision. Ask them to SAVE OUR SWIFTS, putting SWIFT BRICKS in the subject line.

Leeds Swifts - and Swifts - are featured in episode 2 of Hamza's Wild Isles, BBC 1 iPlayer www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

Thanks to Peter King, Director of @OuseAdurRT, for a fascinating presentation about the development of the Cockshut wetlands at our AGM this evening. Thanks to our Mayor, Cllr Emily Clarke, for attending to affirm the support of #Lewes Town Council for our #Swift-friendly Town!

Stand up to racism. Public meeting this Saturday 11 October from 1.30pm Cliffe Hall

Lovely calm workshop at the Railway Land in #Lewes this evening - making a #Swift mosaic tile. The finished tiles will be used to refurbish the wellhead outside the Linklater Pavilion.

#Swifts "apex predator of insects - they're right at the top of a biodiversity pyramid...if you have Swifts screaming around in their summer flight you know things aren't too bad... when they start to vanish, you know you're in trouble." (Edward Mayer, inspiration for #Lewes)

Anyone that cares about swifts please read this and weep. Really let down by this @teamlabouruk.bsky.social Government. Still no mandate for swift brick inclusion. 😞 @lewesswifts.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @rspbengland.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @britishbirds.bsky.social

Some of #Lewes #Swift Supporters met up yesterday for a litter pick and collected four big bags of rubbish. To join in next time we're meeting outside the Canon O'Donnell building, at the junction of Western Road and Spital Road, at 10.30 on Sunday 26th October

Peter King, (Director of the @OuseAdurRT), is joining #Lewes #Swift Supporters AGM in October to talk about the wonderful, multi award-winning Cockshut Regeneration Project! For free membership and an invitation, just contact us at [email protected] Membership is free!

Osprey above Tide Mills, Newhaven on Saturday #birds @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @lewesswifts.bsky.social

Several House Martins flying past in the past few days and lots of them feeding over the fields between #Lewes and Ringmer yesterday - but on Saturday Nick saw three Swallows and A #SWIFT flying over the Castle Bowling Green! Safe journey to all of them and see you next year.

Our article about #Swifts is in the #Lewes Climate Hub newsletter! lewesclimatehub.org/a-great-season…

#Swifts, other wildlife, and us depend upon insects for survival. You could help Buglife, Butterfly Conservation and Bumblebee Conservation to create the Big Insect Rescue Plan: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...

At least SOME countries recognize the value of NATURE and all its offerings.

A Swallow feeding its young before heading off on its long journey south. Before they migrate back to their wintering grounds in Africa, they can be seen gathering to roost in wetlands, particularly reedbeds. Photo by Glyn Rubidge, posted on the Nature Table

I am very upset to report that a colony of House Martins have had their nests blocked by scaffolding in Standon,Hertfordshire today. The building containing the Post Office has 8 to 10 nests under the eaves, some of which contain chicks that will die if the birds cannot reach them. #hertsbirds 1/2

Some of the 12 #trees we have been looking after in Gundreda Road, #Lewes, after planting them in November 2021 - Celtis australis, (Nettle Tree), Crataegus x prunifolia, (Cockspurthorn)m Acer campestre "Louisa Red Shine", (Field Maple), and Ostrya carpinifolia, (Hop Hornbeam).

Thank you to everyone who came to our stall at the #Lewes Societies Fair today! We enjoyed talking with you and sharing your interest in #Swifts!

Lewes Swift Supporters will be at the Societies Fair again on Saturday, 30th August, 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Come along to #Lewes Town Hall and find out about the #Swifts of Lewes and how you may help them, and how we may help with installing Swift nest boxes and artificial House Martin cups.

For the first day since 26th April, we have seen no #Swifts in #Lewes! We think the first chick left our nest box yesterday and the second one left early this morning. We have enjoyed having them at our house so much and we hope they come back safely next year!

Mainly just one #Swift peering out of the entrance of the box at our house in #Lewes today. A parent Swift entered at 8.15, flew out at 18.15, flew out again at 19.49, and entered at 20.23. They have been with us for 71 days now - a special time!

Lewes #Swift Supporters will be at the Societies Fair at #Lewes Town Hall on Saturday 30th August, 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Come along and chat with us about Swifts, our Swift-friendly Town, and installing Swift boxes!

"Our" chicks have spent most of the day at the entrance to the box wondering where their next meal is coming from or whether or not to take the plunge and head off into the future. We also saw a lone #Swift flying high over #Lewes and feeding well. Could it be one of our parents?

Lots of views of one or two of the #Swifts sitting at the entrance of our #Lewes nest box today, between 10.30 and 19.50. Watched two of them peering out for several minutes at 13.35 before a parent Swift flew in. At 20.27, another parent Swift flew into the nest.

Most of our #Lewes #Swifts could be in Africa by now! Well, apart from the ones still in our nest box.....

Four compartment Swift box installed today at Seahaven academy in Newhaven. Box from Impeckable. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. @lewesswifts.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @saveourswifts.bsky.social

Managed to catch a quick blurry picture of the two #Swifts in our nest box today at 7.00 p.m., after they had been in and out all day. None to see in Western Road, #Lewes, again for the second night in a row.

Out with the lovely Swift gang last night. Didn't see any. Farewell my screaming summer flying ace friends. Look forward to welcoming you again next year #ScreamingSwiftsofSummer @lewesswifts.bsky.social

One #Swift entered our box at 7.55 a.m. and we saw it sitting at the entrance again when we set out at 7.55 p.m. No Swifts to be seen at Western Road, #Lewes, but we saw two Pipistrelle bats later on!

Thought we had said goodbye to the last remaining #Swifts in #Lewes, but one flew into our box at 10.35 and out again at 10.30, and it sat at the entrance between 12.07 and 12.20. At Western Road, one flew out of nest 1 at 8.48, and another at 8.54 p.m., both well after dark!

We didn't see any #Swifts today either at our nest box or at the last remaining active nest site in Western Road, #Lewes. Safe journey to Africa to all our special visitors!

End of season meet up in Western Road, #Lewes, to celebrate Swifts and watch only one return to the nest - possibly for the last time? We only saw one #Swift flying in and out of our box today too, and it was sitting at the entrance looking around several times.

One #Swift entered our nest box in Valence Road, #Lewes this afternoon and was peeking out as we set out on our survey. We watched with the Western Road supporters as two Swifts flew in and out of nest 1 between 8.34 and 8.45 p.m. With Ivy the dog, celebrating her 11th birthday.

An increase in Wood Sandpipers, with 5 juveniles at Rye Harbour yesterday and at least 6 at Pett Level this morning. Mostly at distance, but this one came just close enough... Lovely birds with echoing, fluty calls. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

We require a knowledgeable birdwatcher to lead the team that produces the highly respected annual Sussex Bird Report, described by @birdguides.bsky.social as ‘a gold standard of county bird reports’. Please share with your networks. Full brief in link here; tinyurl.com/y9nz7acd

Some #Swifts still here in #Lewes! Two Swifts above Leicester Road Stores at 11.00 a.m., two Swifts over the junction of Western Road and Spital Road at 12.00 noon, and both Swifts entered nest 1 at 98 Western Road between 8.28 and 8.35 p.m. Both took two attempts to enter.

Two #Swifts at the entrance to our box again. One flew out, (see blurry action picture), followed by the other. Turned to see where it had gone and saw four Swifts circling past. Swift returned to Western Road, #Lewes, tonight too.

We installed five more #Swift boxes in #Lewes this morning with @birdingbodds.bsky.social the marvellous SOS Swift Champion! They are in The Gallops, Prince Edward's Road, Wallands Crescent, St. John's Terrace, and Talbot Terrace. That makes 201 Swift boxes installed by us so far!

There was a lot of #Swift action around our nest box in Valence Road, #Lewes, today, with entries and exits from 7.20 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. No returns to Western Road tonight so maybe the chicks have fledged at last. We'll keep checking! Photographs from our nest box this morning.

Thought the #Swifts had left our nest box because it was so quiet and we hadn't seen them - but one flew out at 11.00 and two returned at 19.13. At the last remaining active nest in Western Road, #Lewes one flew in and out again at 20.35 and both Swifts returned at 20.50.

All the #Lewes #Swift action was in Western Road again tonight. One Swift entered at 20:38 and flew out again at 20:45 so we wondered if the other Swift had left - but both flew into the nest at 20:53.

We could hear the #Swifts in our nest box at 11.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m. but think they have left now - not seen them all day. Both Swifts returned to nest 1 at 98 Western Road, #Lewes, yet again at 9.00 p.m. Photograph of Swifts around our nest box - we are going to miss them!

One entry and exit at our nest box during the afternoon. In Western Road, #Lewes, both #Swifts entered nest 1 at 8.59 p.m. after 3 attempts. Chicks unintentionally blocking the entrance? Must be full size by now! Trektrellen map of migrating Swifts spotted in the last two days.

Nuts! On the Turkish Hazel #tree in the pedestrian precinct, #Lewes.

This afternoon we were weeding and mulching the 14 #trees we planted in Malling Close and The Martlets, #Lewes, in November 2024. They are 4 Parrotia persica, ( Persian Ironwood), 6 Platanus orientalis, ( Oriental Plane), and 4 Quercus palustris, (Pin Oak). Wish it would rain!

Weeding and mulching the 16 trees we planted in Monk's Way, Barn Road, and Queen's Road. Quercus robur, Amelanchier lamarckii, Cercis siliquastrum, Sorbus intermedia Brouwers, Alnus incana, Malus baccata, Acer campestre, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer.

We saw three #Swift entries to our box between 9.35 and 10.30, and one exit at 10.55. Our evening survey followed a similar pattern to recent nights - two entries and two exits to nest 1 at 98 Western Road, #Lewes, between 8.37 and 8.43, then both Swifts returned at 8.59 p.m.

Stages in the fitting of 1 of 3 Swift bricks in Brighton today. This was a retro fit and the box sits in the cavity of the wall. Not complicated with the right equipment. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @lewesswifts.bsky.social @bhwf.bsky.social

Preparing swift work for Global Birdfair, 11-13th July. I’ll be in puffin marquee stand 11. Looking forward to catching up with everyone! Swift season update- blog at jonathanpomroy.wordpress.com