first swallow

[BARRY]

saw the first swallow of the year today on the telephone wires near home, anybody else got any sighting

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Not made it this far north yet. I had a good scout around the barns & sheds on sunday, eyes peeled though !!

[Louby]

nope not seen or heard any yet. but did see to parakeets (sp) fly into the woods today

[phoenix]

saw 1st swallow 8th april over lancaster, 1st house martins on 3rd of april also in same area, and on the 4th april i noted wheatears on morecambe prom.

[Sharkbait]

Yes, I saw some swallows just outside Calne on Saturday

[MAF]

nope not seen or heard any yet. but did see to parakeets (sp) fly into the woods today

yeah we have a load of them here too, about a dozen or more in the trees this morning, and a woodpecker too. although i cant ever get to see a good view of it

no swallows though

Edited April 15, 2008 by Mick

[Hiya]

I saw my first swallow on 5th April.

[Crepuscular Ray]

You're lucky to have such lovely signs of spring. I wouldn't take the parakeets as a sign of warmer weather, though: the little demons have been waking me up long before dawn for weeks and weeks and weeks. They're here all winter now - e.g., they were around v. early in January and it was bizarre hearing their squawks during a funeral in Surrey in early February when they look like such summery creatures, and they were around most of the time anyway.

Edited April 15, 2008 by crepuscular ray

[Guest mycroft]

Saw my first martins on the 6th april whilst lure fishing.Strangely woke to falling snow that sunday, but it thawed and the sun came out and felt warm in the sun.Later in the day we had a 45 minute snow/hail shower, once it thawed again i saw martins again on way home.

[earsnow]

Saw my first Swallow on 2nd April travelling north!! Wonder what it was thinking when it hit that cold northerly

[Coast]

Sorry, saw the title of the thread and started to post something entirely different - my appologies, a misunderstanding, don't mind me......

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Sorry, saw the title of the thread and started to post something entirely different - my appologies, a misunderstanding, don't mind me......

LOL, me too !! I need to get out more......

[peterf]

Sorry, saw the title of the thread and started to post something entirely different - my appologies, a misunderstanding, don't mind me......

lol

[stormchaser1]

No swallows or swifts this far North yet, [ Prob wont reach us until around june}

However, saw my first pair of Goldfinches this morning , {ive not known these to be around here this early [ ive seen them in Lincolnshire especially at the weekend just gone}

Nigel

[heroweeny]

Hi This is my first post and maybe my last as i just like to read but the swallows arrived last week at the yard where we keep our horses just west of Reading. I havent actually seen one yet but I can hear their chattering up in the rafters. I look forward to cleaning their little poops out of the water feeders all summer.

[shuggee]

Welcome to postin on nw heroweeny

Of course, I won't expect to see one until July at this rate!

[Drew]

One swallow doesn't make a summer...

But a frog can make a long spring .....

[Turnedoutniceagain]

2 swallows just arrived, headed straight for the cow-shed !!

Roll on summer........

[Crepuscular Ray]

nope not seen or heard any yet. but did see to parakeets (sp) fly into the woods today

They'll be expanding southwards from London rather than migrating north for spring. Get used to the idea of a new form or dawn chorus.

[benny]

They'll be expanding southwards from London rather than migrating north for spring. Get used to the idea of a new form or dawn chorus.

I always see them first at the riding stables my kids go to in South Manchester.I saw 3 last saturday afternoon 12th April.Last year they arrived very early on 29th March.A sure sign of Summer.Something else I have noticed the last couple of years is that Skylarks are making a comeback.They make a lovely constant twittering sound and remind me of my youth.

[Crepuscular Ray]

I always see them first at the riding stables my kids go to in South Manchester.I saw 3 last saturday afternoon 12th April.Last year they arrived very early on 29th March.A sure sign of Summer.Something else I have noticed the last couple of years is that Skylarks are making a comeback.They make a lovely constant twittering sound and remind me of my youth.

Adore skylarks - one of my most memorable mornings ever was mid-morning at Stonehenge just over 5 years ago - because it was pretty cold the skylarks had delayed getting going until then, but when they did go for it they were swooping around among the punters and the stones singing their little heads off - magical! If you've never been sung at by skylarks at about 20 ft (as opposed to the normal 150 ft) you don't know what you've missed!

[disco-barry]

I've seen some swallows about last month, also i'm not sure when they're meant to arrive but green finches(the yellowygreen ones) i've seen a few of them about now.

[Sharkbait]

Adore skylarks - one of my most memorable mornings ever was mid-morning at Stonehenge just over 5 years ago - because it was pretty cold the skylarks had delayed getting going until then, but when they did go for it they were swooping around among the punters and the stones singing their little heads off - magical! If you've never been sung at by skylarks at about 20 ft (as opposed to the normal 150 ft) you don't know what you've missed!

Me too, having always lived here near Stonehenge, I've always enjoyed them in the surrounding countryside, they're everywhere.

[jimben]

I saw swallows last weekend in the lake district near Keswick

[Crepuscular Ray]

The first Common Tern I've seen this year was fluttering around the dock near Canary Wharf just now.