Swifts feeding near Thrupp

Late in the afternoon I went to Gunhouse Lane, which I can see across the fields from my desk, on the far side of where the old orchard was, because the farmer was on it cutting and then baling his crop of hay. I thought a quick browse around might offer a blip.

When I got there however, they had nearly finished as the modern machinery dealt with the relatively small field in no time. I stood on the old field boundary, a bank above the lane, and just watched and occasionally took a picture. Once the farmer had driven off, the quiet returned and I listened to the birds and particularly the swifts which were flying low over the new stubble. In my mind was the chance of hearing and then tracking the young buzzard I keep hearing. Then I saw one flying down from the ancient wood beside Claypits Lane only a couple of hundred yards away. It landed on the top of the tall remnants of the hedge between the old orchard and the ridge and furrow field behind. I took a picture in hope, but it was too far to see clearly by eye and in fact it did show the bird standing proudly on a top branch, looking out over the stubble, probably hoping to see disturbed animals whose habitat had just vanished.

I strolled around the field and then walked along the route of the old abandoned track towards Thrupp. Here the swifts suddenly appeared in profusion, flying inches above the field, as well as climbing a few hundred feet in the air to where there must have been other insects. I climbed a gate and then saw a small swift land on a branch of a dead hedgerow tree. As I tried to get closer for better pictures, I noticed another group of swifts nearby on a different hedge.

I lingered and tried to set up the camera to see if I could film some of them in flight as they took off. But I soon realised that they weren't going anywhere and now I think they were just knackered. In fact they must have been a second brood of the season for the swifts, and the constant swirling flight must have tired them. I stood right below the group, and then suddenly heard them squawking like babies with their beaks wide open. Then their excitement intensified within seconds and a mature bird flew in, to hover with its own beak inside the mouth of it's young.

I was so pleased but didn't know if I'd recorded anything clearly. The light was quite poor, shooting up into the cloudy sky, and hoping for the best again. Then the scene repeated, although it was again over so quickly, with the adult hovering for only a couple of seconds before banking away to avoid the other little swifts.

I couldn't make up my mind which to blip, so HERE I've posted a few more of the images in the sequences, so you can see what happened. Hope you like it as much I enjoyed it happening in front of me.