Swallows And Swifts

[BARRY]

First Swallows seen here Saturday 16th... always a welcome sign.

first ones today here comes summer

[Turnedoutniceagain]

7-8 swallows here today. No Swifts yet. What a welcome sight !!

[Bottesford]

The swifts have arrived here! Heard my first one last night but today they're in full force soaring and screeching high overhead.

Love the sound they make - probably as it reminds me of my favourite time of year- now until early August!

[NL]

Observed my first swift yesterday morning, one solitary bird but saw 3 more yesterday evening.. Why they want to come to South Shields is totally beyond me, weathers crap, gulls everywhere and temperatures in peak summer hardly anything to write home about..!!

[Beverley Lass]

Hooray, I can hear the Swifty boys here this evening,

having a nice screech round the village.

They get less old roof tile opportunities to nest each year,

it's a worry.

I've also seen a few Martins and there were Swallows swooping

round the Beverley racecourse last w/e. Nice innings of flies there !

B.

[Northernlights]

No Swifts here yet but plenty of House Martins and Swallows. We have a breeding colony of about 20 Swifts every year under the eaves of the farm house but they don"t usually arrive until late May or early June

[Northernlights]

No Swifts here yet but plenty of House Martins and Swallows. We have a breeding colony of about 20 Swifts every year under the eaves of the farm house but they don"t usually arrive until late May or early June

A pair of Swifts arrived this morning just to correct me. I always feel high summer has truly arrived when we hear them screeching round the farmhouse in formation in the evenings till late as the days are so long now.They also seem to leave in the second week of August without fail and that to me signals the end of high summer.

[Rainy]

Today just discovered swallows feeding nestlings. Nest built in the corner of a dark shed with only a small NE opening to the outside world. Very unusual to have such a chilly entrance. Normally like to swoop into a building from the south. Perhaps, as there has been such little sunshine and so rainy here this summer, they went for plan 2 for this brood. It's been so gloomy every day they hardly would have known where the sun should have been.

They will have to get a move on to fatten those babies up enough to fly away soon. Do they know we might have a welcome bit of summer to bring out some flies?

Heard a few swifts in late May, but nothing since then. They've had some poor wet summers recent years up here. Gone away to better places I daresay..

[jdc]

Three broods totalling14 chicks have just left the nests here this week. They are all still hanging around the yard but parents looking after them. There are still huge numbers of flying insects available so these guys might make it to their winter home.

[Hairy Celt]

Swallows have become our most numerous summer bird in the last two years - there's a good supply of mud from the building site down the road and loads of insects from the beach, gardens, hedges, horses etc. Two nests and four broods last year, three nests and six broods this year. The sky is full of them at times!

[Jane Louise]

I took a photo of three swallow fledglings early this evening in the barn. I had already discovered them last night but when I had tried then to take pictures my flash wouldn't work! the same three were all perched on a metal rack up high last evening whilst the parent bird kept swooping in and out the barn encouraging them to fly.. the parent bird was getting a bit agitated whilst I was there although I tried to hide the best I could . I was really pleased they were all still there this evening and took a couple pics of them all huddled together.

[Rainy]

I think our swallows have gone, at lesast from just around here. Babies were out of the nest last week and they were being fed by parents while perched on the electric wires on the 7th. . So that will be a quick exit for them. Don't blame them. We've had 55.4 mm rain drenchings since then.

Very few birds about. A few goldfinches feeding on knapweed seeds and a robin with the usual sad winter-time cheep. Blackbirds and thrushes hunting for blackberries. Grain fed crows and stray pheasants from the shoots.

[4wd]

They've gone from here - no wonder, it's really chilly the last two days.

[gottolovethisweather]

And guess who came across a solitary Swift over his house on 3rd September, a rather late one by all accounts.

[mike Meehan]

And guess who came across a solitary Swift over his house on 3rd September, a rather late one by all accounts.

What a shame - his mummy and daddy left without him.

[Rainy]

I can't tell swifts and swallows apart,not being interested in such things. But in the local park on the Saturday just gone,there was dozens of them,one or the other,flying very low to the ground. Never seen so many. Does this behaviour identify them as swifts or swallows or do they both do it,btw?

Both fly low to the ground. Depends on insect supply. In calmer warmer weather the insects fly higher and also are likley to be around trees. Supposed to be a sign of good weather if these birds are high up.

Swifts scream and usuallly do long swooping flight at crazy speed.. Never perch on wires. Dislike cold wet weather. Go long distances away from nest, leaving young, and fly away from low pressure systems. Been in decline these last few years here. None this year after a brief visit in May. There's a famous and fascinating book about them .. "Swifts in a Tower" by Davifd Lack.

Swallows have more zig zag flight chasing insects and a twittering call. When really excited in the early summer they have a sort of corkscrew call now and then. Commonly perch on wires or roof tops. Gather up in large numbers in Sept. Young have short tails.

As I posted ealier last week, I thought "our" swallows had left. But the warm sunshine stirred the insects on Thursday and this morning. And lo -- swallows turned up, but flying very low over the fields. Young were making a racket and were being fed on the wing by parents / adults.

I suspect they must be roosting somewhere else as they are not around in the evening as in past weeks..

[jethro]

The Swallows have all left here now, haven't seen one since the middle of last week; it's been warm and sunny with lots of insects flying around but not a bird to be seen. Winter's coming.

[phil nw.]

On a general bird point we have robins and sparrows feeding on suet and fat balls as well as the usual seed from our garden feeders.

I am no expert on wild birds habits and i wondered if this is early for them to be building their fat reserves? .

I was going to leave the suet and fat balls untill October but as it feels colder this week i put them out early and was suprised that they started to feed on them.

Maybe they can sense an early Northerly.

[Rainy]

Saw swallows yesterday. Not today.

[gottolovethisweather]

On a general bird point we have robins and sparrows feeding on suet and fat balls as well as the usual seed from our garden feeders.

I am no expert on wild birds habits and i wondered if this is early for them to be building their fat reserves? .

I was going to leave the suet and fat balls untill October but as it feels colder this week i put them out early and was suprised that they started to feed on them.

Maybe they can sense an early Northerly.

Not early in my opinion, this year, although exceptional for the unsummer conditions, there was notable peaks in this activity.

See http://ukbirdingtimeline.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/heightened-garden-bird-feeding-activity-due-to-the-weather/ and I had this to say on separate blog post.

Ten weeks can be a long time for the natural world and since my hiatus; many phenological events have taken place locally and non-locally. For example, many young birds have been flocking to my busy feeders and for the first time, I have added an immature Carrion Crow to the records, not bad for a semi-suburban locality. Alongside this, during this time, various finches, tits, a Great-Spotted Woodpecker, daws and corvids had been raiding the feeders and fat balls with a summering Blackcap on the latter mentioned. Only in recent weeks, has this feeding frenzy decreased and I suspect the reason for this is simply moulting activity. Who says we shouldn’t feed the birds all year round? In fact, many of the youngsters were finding the bird table and its feeders, useful sheltering positions during the wetter periods.

I apologise sincerely for the shameless plug.

Both fly low to the ground. Depends on insect supply. In calmer warmer weather the insects fly higher and also are likley to be around trees. Supposed to be a sign of good weather if these birds are high up.

Swifts scream and usuallly do long swooping flight at crazy speed.. Never perch on wires. Dislike cold wet weather. Go long distances away from nest, leaving young, and fly away from low pressure systems. Been in decline these last few years here. None this year after a brief visit in May. There's a famous and fascinating book about them .. "Swifts in a Tower" by Davifd Lack.

Swallows have more zig zag flight chasing insects and a twittering call. When really excited in the early summer they have a sort of corkscrew call now and then. Commonly perch on wires or roof tops. Gather up in large numbers in Sept. Young have short tails.

As I posted ealier last week, I thought "our" swallows had left. But the warm sunshine stirred the insects on Thursday and this morning. And lo -- swallows turned up, but flying very low over the fields. Young were making a racket and were being fed on the wing by parents / adults.

I suspect they must be roosting somewhere else as they are not around in the evening as in past weeks..

A truly wonderful summary there.