Swifts have been nesting at the Old School in Errogie for at least 40 years. Their fortunes have fluctuated over the years, but they are now on the increase. For the first year we have installed a camera in one of the nesting apartments so that we can view their activities. You can now also you can watch them live.
Thanks to the Stratherrick & Foyers Community Council, the Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust, Nick Rhodes, Ken McInnes and The Men’s Shed Inverness for supporting this project.
Swifts incubate their eggs for 19–23 days, though cold and wet weather can occasionally stretch this period up to 25 days. It is not possible to distinguish the sexes in Common Swifts, except from their behaviour, e.g. during mating. And incubation is shared equally between the male and female parent. When the partners duties, it is often possible to catch a glimpse of the eggs and chicks.
Old School in Errogie
Eric and Erica’s diary 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 20 May | “Eric” arrived |
| 21 May | “Erica” arrived to a rapturous reunion |
| 2 June | Erica laid first egg |
| 4 June | Erica laid second egg |
| 6-8 ? June | Erica laid third egg |
| 21 – 26 June | Hatching expected |
The Swifts fledged in August, and set off for Africa.
Errogie Church Swifts
Young Swifts at the old church in Errogie
The Swift project was delighted to discover that a pair of Swifts has occupied one of the two nest-boxes we installed at the old church in Errogie this spring.
They built a nest in early June last year (2025) but did not breed. This is typical behaviour for Swifts. Unlike most small birds such as Swallows and House Martins, they do not breed until they are 2 or 3 years old. The birds are currently incubating eggs (two at the last count).
The Swifts fledged in August, and set off for Africa.
This swiftcam is not monitored, but many people watch it for a while. If you see anything significant, you can record it below. Activities worth reporting include: a bird leaving, or arriving, a change-over (i.e. one parent taking over incubation duty from the other), glimpses of eggs or chicks etc…
Huge thanks to Olly Pugh and Dave Walsh for working tirelessly to bring these Swifts to our screens, and to SFCC and SFCT for funding. If this pair breed successfully, it will be a major milestone for the Swift project: the establishment of a new breeding colony. We know of only 5 breeding colonies in South Loch Ness, an area of approx. 250 sq. kms. Most of these are single nests.
P.S. To save money, the live feeds currently rely on two old laptops. From a technical perspective, these are major weak links, and the feeds are prone to crashing. If you have a spare laptop, and would like to help the project, please get in touch. Thanks!!
We live at other end of Loch Mhor from Errogie. Love the sound of Swifts. We have house martins nesting on our gable end. We think the sparrows took nest over but house martins managed to get it back. If we put up a swift box will they come?