Meet the Kids..

Obviously, these are not my kids - they seem to belong to a very hard-working Swift.
There is a car-port just outside the office of the Blackcountry Man which is a haven for poor lepers like me who have to have a ciggie during the working day.
Normally I'm left to by own thoughts, but in this case I was well entertained by the antics of these little creatures. The nest is silent for a few moments, then the swift comes speeding in and emits a little squeak as it decelerates from 200mph to zero in half a second. This squeak is answered by deafening shrieks from the three chicks as they plead with the parent to feed them. This feeding operation takes a second, then the Swift disappears off to get more insects - and there is silence. This operation repeats every couple of minutes.

I wanted to picture the feeding, but I didn't want to disturb the cycle by interrupting it with the very necessary flash. It was also high up in the roof and the shot would be difficult. When it was quiet, I tested the flash out, and to my surprise, three little heads popped up, accompanied by the deafening noise. After a few seconds, it subsided and the little heads popped back down below the nest-rim.
Every time I let off the flash, up they jumped - like three little jack-in-a-boxes.
I suppose it was a little bit cruel to keep doing it. So I didn't.

Anyway, the battery went flat after half an hour.