We put up a second birdhouse for the commons #swift (#gierzwaluw), which is having a tough time in the Netherlands with many nooks and crannies in buildings disappearing.

To lure in the swifts (they like to be near other swifts), we are now playing bird sounds a couple of times per day, as recommended by https://gierzwaluwbescherming.nl/ I quickly #hacked together an audio player from an old rpi1 (wow, those were slow...) and other parts I had lying around (so yay, did not buy anything new).

1/3

I look out every year for the return of Swifts from Africa to our neighborhood in Amsterdam. This morning I woke up to their scream like calls and several flying outside our window. Here's the arrival dates then since 2020!
#gierzwaluw

Apr 24, 2020
May 3, 2021
May 6, 2022
Apr 29, 2023
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 27, 2025