First swifts seen.

[John Aston]

Swifts in North Yorkshire . May the church bells ring out

 

[no-one in particular]

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....

We might see more this week, warmer and SW winds for most of the week. Maybe we will get a longer summer and everything will make up for it, same with the plants.

 

[108831]

As I said earlier in this thread,if you went to reservoirs like Grafham,Rutland etc you would have seen some weeks ago,prime feeding spots for transit feeders....

 

[Notts Michael.]

'My' House Martins haven't returned yet, though I have seen and heard some locally. I say My, as I put up an artificial double nest about 10 years back, it took a few years before they used it, but now I get them back every year, lovely to hear them and see the many feeding visits they make to their young. No Swifts spotted yet.

 

[bullet]

Swifts arrived this week around here, so we've now got the full compliment....

 

[108831]

Saw a pair of house martins refitting their nest on a lock house near L.Buzzard...

 

[bullet]

The House Martins have been here a while, now.
There have been quite a few kerfuffles over the nests, as Sparrows have taken over a few and if a Martin pops in for a look all hell breaks loose!

 

[rob48]

Arrived here in Staffordshire this afternoon. I thought they may come courtesy of the warm southerly airstream. It's nice to sit outside on warm, cloudy, summer evenings as they wheel over the gardens picking off flies from over the vegetation and crops. Then suddenly, about the third week in August, you notice they're not there any more and are gone for another year.

 

[Hugh Bailey]

Saw my first today- probably been around for a bit but they are less obvious since we had peregrines breed locally

 

[108831]

Arrived here in Staffordshire this afternoon. I thought they may come courtesy of the warm southerly airstream. It's nice to sit outside on warm, cloudy, summer evenings as they wheel over the gardens picking off flies from over the vegetation and crops. Then suddenly, about the third week in August, you notice they're not there any more and are gone for another year.

My wife and I were saying this yesterday,we always go on holiday mid-August for two weeks,the swifts are screeching and whizzing round our rooftops when we leave,when we return they're gone,we are never here to give them a wave...

 

[no-one in particular]

Apart from the pair of starlings nesting in the roof I have noticed quite a few about. Their murmurings must have broken up now and they are dispersed. I still haven't seen any martins, swallows or swifts but I think that is just a local thing; for some reason I never see many except when they are in migration, but that's when they go back, odd I don't see them when they first come over being on the coast.

 

[no-one in particular]

This was taken at Rye nature Reserve yesterday on the coast so maybe more will be arriving. Don't know how they get those pictures.

 

[S-Kippy]

I've not seen or heard any swift’s round here yet or on my travels.....bar one scream at Eton on Sunday but I couldn’t spot the culprit. Martins and swallows but no swift.

 

[no-one in particular]

Lots of swifts, martins and swallows seen in Bexhill on Sea yesterday so I reckon they are well on their way now.

 

[seth49]

Some on the reservoirs, not seen them on there nesting sites down the village yet.

 

[sam vimes]

Just heard a screech. Popped out of the front door to see about six swifts up high. If they hang around, I may be able to put my alarm clock away.

 

[108831]

Saw around thirty whizzing around a long tree line yesterday near Batford,feasting on sheltering fly life...

 

[S-Kippy]

As reported in my HDYGO post loads of swift charging around Farmoor reservoir yesterday feasting on buzzers. Still not seen or heard any around home though.

 

[steve2]

Still no Swifts, Swallows or House Martins. The Magpies are starting to feed their babies on the young Starlings that haven't learn't yet to keep clear when Magpies are on the hunt.

 

[seth49]

Finally saw four today at ribchester, called for an ice cream and we were eating them sat by the river, and I saw the swifts high in the sky feeding, still no sand martins here yet, and there usually one of the first to arrive.