Winchester Cathedral Update 2024

Twenty Swift boxes were installed in the bell tower of Winchester Cathedral in August 2020. That was four years ago and you can read how the birds did last year here.

This September, Roger Maynard, Catharine Gale and I went with Ian the Virger to open and inspect the boxes. We found that there had been 16 pairs (up from 13 pairs last year) and in the remaining four boxes nests have already been started. This is far better than we ever anticipated back in 2020. On the schedule below, when we say ‘young reared’, this is based on a comparison of the photo taken this year with the photo of the same box last year to check that it has been occupied - shown by the amount of poo marks in the bottom of the box. So this is a best guess based on the evidence and not absolute proof. Only by having cameras in all of the boxes could we be sure of actual fledging. Maybe one day!

Swift box end of season inspection numbers for Winchester Cathedral

Box number	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	No swifts -1 small tortoiseshell	Completed nest - no young	Young fledged	Young fledged
2		No swifts - 1 small tortoiseshell		Completed nest - no young
3		Start of nest with leaves	Young fledged	Young fledged
4		One feather	6 feathers	Completed nest - no young
5		Completed nest - no young	Young fledged	Young fledged
6		2 feathers	Completed nest - no young	Young fledged
7	Feathers	Completed nest - 2 eggs thrown out	Young fledged	Young fledged - 2 eggs thrown out
8	Feathers	Completed nest - no young	Young fledged	Young fledged
9		2 feathers	1 egg laid but pushed out	Young fledged
10				Start of nest
11		1 feather	1 feather	Start of nest
12		1 feather	1 feather	Start of nest
13		1 dropping		Completed nest - no young
14		2 droppings	Half-completed nest	Half-completed nest
15		1 feather	Completed nest - no young	Completed nest - no young
16		Start of nest	Start of nest	Completed nest - 2 eggs thrown out
17		Start of nest	Young fledged - 1 small dead fledgling	Young fledged
18		Completed nest - no young	Young fledged	Young fledged
19	Occupied - half built nest	Young fledged	Young fledged	Young fledged
20	Young fledged	Young fledged	Young fledged	Young fledged
Total	1 pair bred + 1 nest complete	2 pairs bred + 5 nests complete	9 pairs bred + 3 nests complete	11 pairs bred + 5 nests complete

In two of the boxes, two eggs had been pushed out of the nests. This seems to have happened more this year due to the cool, poor weather earlier in the season. In most instances, these birds will lay another clutch and will then go on to rear young which will fledge later in the season.

Box 7, with two eggs pushed out

Box 16, which also had two eggs pushed out but it appears that they did not relay

Roger, Tim and Catharine