First swifts seen.

[The Runner]

Didn't see it myself sadly, just heard about it . Only ever seen one in the UK, that was in my uncles garden in Suffolk about fifty years ago...

 

[no-one in particular]

Didn't see it myself sadly, just heard about it . Only ever seen one in the UK, that was in my uncles garden in Suffolk about fifty years ago...

There has been a few reports of Hoopoes lately turning up, this one was seen near Brighton, I have never seen one myself.

 

[seth49]

I’ve only ever seen one and that must have been over fifty years ago, stunning bird and unmistakable for anything else. That and a purple heron are the two rarest I’ve seen.

 

[no-one in particular]

I’ve only ever seen one and that must have been over fifty years ago, stunning bird and unmistakable for anything else. That and a purple heron are the two rarest I’ve seen.

That's a question that's hard to answer Seth, I think mine might be a Red Footed Falcon.

 

[The Runner]

Northerly winds are stopping birds from leaving as well as arriving. Just back from a recce of a couple of potential deep water rock marks near Dunvegan and still four Whooper Swans on Loch Suardal. Should have been heading for Iceland at least a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Silure]

Had these in the garden. There are 2 females and the male. The cat was not impressed and kept his distance. Hunting season finished so these 3 are sqfe from hunters.

 

[108831]

Today i've took the car for it's service and MOT,I stood beside Priory lake in Bedford and watched in awe at the sheer numbers of swifts,swallows,house martins and sand martins,all flying low over the water quartering the lake hunting the vast numbers of midges being swept in the gale force winds,this is a big lake and everywhere I looked it swarmed with them....

 

[no-one in particular]

Today i've took the car for it's service and MOT,I stood beside Priory lake in Bedford and watched in awe at the sheer numbers of swifts,swallows,house martins and sand martins,all flying low over the water quartering the lake hunting the vast numbers of midges being swept in the gale force winds,this is a big lake and everywhere I looked it swarmed with them....

That is a nice thing to see. I see something like that in a valley where I fish a little stream, catch it right and all the swallows and martins fly through it on their way to the coast nearby when they migrate back. Every time I look up flocks of them stream through all day. This stream and valley must be a natural collecting route for them and they must come from all over the south of England. Its usually just me and the birds as no one fishes there and no one about, very peaceful.

 

[mikench]

I've seen lots of swallow but no swifts. They must think it's still winter.

 

[steve2]

No swifts, swallows or house martins arrived here yet. They must all still be on holiday some where warm. Might have more chance of seeing a Polar Bear.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Not having been to the pub for such a long time has meant I've bot seen the Great Bustards on the Plain as they are usually quite close to Enford.

Not seen a swift either for a long time now

 

[The Runner]

Saw first swallow yesterday battling the freezing northerly along the shoreline.
Cold weather (its borderline rain/ sleet outside as I write) seems to be sending some oddities into gardens.
Two Reed Buntings at the back this morning and did a double take a couple of days ago- half glanced outside, three small brownish things on my front fence which assumed without giving them a proper look would be sparrows, had a better look a few seconds later; Twite, never seen them in the village before although they're reasonably common on some of the croftlands and moorland edges up here.

And while on birds, when I saw the four Whoopers at L Suardal the other day, I somehow missed the Crane which apparently spent all day there. Not exactly inconspicuous....

 

[108831]

As I said earlier,adult breeding swifts would be starting to arrive soon,but with our weather being held back at present and lots of North winds making it worse,I expect their arrival to be later this year,but as they are in decline it is always a concern...

 

[no-one in particular]

Swifts are being seen here and there so some are making it over but not in full I think. Other migrants are being seen, whitethroats and wheatears and a few cuckoos. Just noticed the starlings have started to nest outside my window. Every year they turn up and nest somewhere in the roof above and to the left of me.
A bit warmer and SW winds coming over the weekend, I think that will bring a few over, might bring a few fish on as well.

 

[108831]

Terns here too...

 

[Pete Shears]

About a dozen swallows over the local reservoir this morning, no swifts or martins but two pairs of terns and plenty of hedgerow songsters. Haven't heard a cuckoo yet.

 

[S-Kippy]

Rotten with swallow and Martin at Dorking on Thursday and heard a cuckoo calling again. All the geese and duck on the lakes have goslings/ducklings and every clump of reeds has its Reed warblers. The only things that spoilt it was the fact that it was freezing cold and those noisy bloody parakeets. I hate em.

 

[seth49]

Not seen a swift yet, but saw a first on Thursday while fishing, a hobby trying to catch a swallow, it very nearly had it too, first one I’ve seen.

 

[no-one in particular]

Not seen a swift yet, but saw a first on Thursday while fishing, a hobby trying to catch a swallow, it very nearly had it too, first one I’ve seen.

Wow, I have seen them catching dragon flies, but they regularly go for swallows apparently, they follow them over and back on migration, I suppose it is their equivalent of a packed lunch.
Saw a sparrow hawk yesterday come flying over the hedge from the railway line like an excocet and pounce on a flock a pigeons, they scattered a bit sharpish but I couldn't see if it got one.

 

[108831]

Sparrow hawks are very adept at catching doves and pigeons and usually have places where they do it regularly,every day or so checking in to see if they can ambush them...
when I was fishing yesterday I saw some decent numbers of swallows,got a feeling most of these were in transit,house martins too....