Swallows

[nicepix]

Not to sure they are 100% correct Chris. On the estate where I do some beating they have both and when you see them flying together when flushed its a hard call.
Have you seen one of the albino's yet?
Plug one of them in your excitement and its fifty sovs to the estate!.

When I used to watch the woods at Brodsworth near Doncaster in the weeks leading up to Christmas to prevent poaching at night I used the white birds as markers to check whether they had been disturbed. You could see them from a lot further away and as they always roosted in the same place, other than in extremes of weather, it was a simple job to count them as I went round. As you say, if anyone shot them, other than the last shoot it was a hefty fine.

I also agree with you about the melanistics. Never known them to behave any differently to normal birds. Grand tail feathers for fly-tying though.

---------- Post added at 20:02 ---------- Previous post was at 19:58 ----------

Had a wander round this evening, not a swallow to be seen. Then, as the wind dropped and dusk approached, a load of swallows and martins turned up. Shame that there doesn't seem to be much in the way of insect hatches going on. Hopefully that will start soon, partly to get the fish moving and partly to avoid the swallows starving to death.

I was cutting the grass around the estate this afternoon and saw some swallows going in and out of the barns. They've only been here a few days and are nesting already. I don't know how many broods they have but the last fledglings appeared in early October last year.

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

Not to sure they are 100% correct Chris. On the estate where I do some beating they have both and when you see them flying together when flushed its a hard call.
Have you seen one of the albino's yet?
Plug one of them in your excitement and its fifty sovs to the estate!.

I'll take your word for it FL, not my thing tbh shooting overfed birds that respond to a whistle and virtually have to be kicked into flight by the beaters.

Yes I've seen dozens of white pheasants over the years. We always knew them as Silver Pheasants.

Shouldn't be too long before the Swifts are screeching overhead now the sun has finally put in an appearance.

 

[nicepix]

I'll take your word for it FL, not my thing tbh shooting overfed birds that respond to a whistle and virtually have to be kicked into flight by the beaters.

Don't believe all you read in Birdwatcher's Monthly. They are just after your subscription money

 

[flightliner]

I was cutting the grass around the estate this afternoon

Goodness me NP, just how big a piece of France have you got?

 

[nicepix]

Goodness me NP, just how big a piece of France have you got?

Not a lot!

We live in a little house on a chateau farm estate set in 300 hectares of private parkland. We only have a small lawn and garden to call our own, but we can freely roam the rest of the estate which includes over 1km of the River Vienne.

The areas immediately around the cottages and chateau are grass so every couple of weeks or so during the summer I hitch the little farm tractor up to a 3 metre mower and tow it around. It saves them half a days wages and keeps me out of mischief. It also buys me favours such as free groundbait from the grain store.