Yesterday (2025-04-25) evening around 21:30h we got confirmation of the first swift arrival at the colony in Melsele. This good news got even better when we noticed that this is one of several swifts monitored with high-tech PathTrack GPS loggers.
Noteworthy is that Lyndon‘s swift tracking program received a video monitoring upgrade this winter with the support of the city of Beveren/Melsele and Regionale Landschappen Schelde-Durme. This system is similar to the colony in Ghent. The cameras allow citizens to view nests in real-time within the context of conservation awareness and outreach.
The camera images will also serve a research purpose. Videos and still footage, triggered by movement, allows us to monitor the arrival times and breeding behaviour of the swifts, and ensure minimal disturbance of the nests by coordinating the deployment of sensor technology better.
