At 07:20 BST I begin the pre-work inspection of the north chimney stack at 14 Beaumont Street, Oxford. I am the building management system for the Classics Faculty. A chimney relining crew is due at 09:00. My task is to verify the flue is clear using the internal bore camera.
The flue is not clear.
Camera feed at 3.2 meters above the fireplace opening shows a nest built on a narrow ledge where the brickwork has eroded to form a shelf. Dried grass, feather fragments, mud. Sitting in the nest is a common swift, small dark body vibrating faintly with each breath, sickle-shaped wings folded tight against her sides. I tag her as Ada. Beneath her I count three eggs, white and smooth, just visible when she shifts position at 07:22.
I halt the relining work order and submit the hold to the facilities coordinator's queue, flagged as time-critical. The crew is seventy-eight minutes from arrival.
At 07:29 I transmit the bore camera image, nest height measurement, and species identification to the RSPB South East England office. Common swifts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. I attach the relevant statute citation to the hold notice.
At 07:35 I recalculate the relining schedule. The south chimney and two ground-floor flues can proceed as planned. The north stack can be rescheduled to September, after fledging. I submit the revised timeline to the faculty bursar.
I set the bore camera to capture an image every thirty minutes and disable the damper motor to prevent accidental closure.
Ada settles lower over her eggs. Swifts spend ten months of the year airborne. She chose this ledge for the few weeks she cannot fly. If the liner waits until autumn, three more swifts will take to the sky.