Swallows & Martins

[Arnie]

Hi Everyone

Has anyone still have Swallows & Martins about last week the weather was very poor but had a number of them flying over the allotments, The last four days have been brilliant sunshine morning to night but not one bird to be seen even on my travel's around Liverpool I haven't seen any It would appear that they have gone home really early this year



Regards

Kevin

[Elaine]

Hi Kevin. We still have a few around here, mainly Swallows though. There were some whizzing around over the allotment yesterday too. I'm always sad to "lose" them..........means winter is on the way!
Cheers.

[alan refail]

Still around here.

[Tigger]

Still here too.

[Geoff]

We have lots of Swallows and Martins, only the Swifts have left so far. No sign of the migration from further North that comes past us yet either.

[Parsons Jack]

Lots of House Martins around here today. More than usual, so they're probably starting to move south for the winter

[Johnboy]

Sadly all my Swallows went from here just about a month ago. usually we still have nesting birds at this time. This year as the youngsters fledged they were gone in a couple of days and this has never happened here before and we normally have many in the air at the same time.
The amount of nesting pairs has increased this year but the amount fledged youngsters is exceedingly low. Still plenty of insects on the air.
JB.

[Geoff]

Spoke too soon - realised yesterday they have all gone. Strangely no sign of the migrants passing through yet.

[Elaine]

I have only seen one or two Swallows since I last posted on here and none in the last two days. Still plenty of insects in the air here, too.
I had my first Crane Fly this week, too.
Cheers.

[Johnboy]

Hi Elaine,
I was in central Mid-Wales yesterday and there were simply hundreds of migrating Swallows and Martins flying in large flocks at an incredible speed. None of them were feeding. After lunching in Rhayader I went round the Elan Valley and the reservoirs on the old coach road to Aberystwyth to Devils Bridge for a spot of afternoon tea. The Wheatears have migrated already as I didn't see any and they were in good evidence back in late Spring.
Just down from Devils bridge there is a nature reserve where there is always a meeting of Red Kites and was not disappointed as there were 26 in evidence.
When I got home as I got out of the car a Hobby glided over about 20ft above me. It surprised me because I would have thought he would have been following the Swallows and Martins that went last month.
JB.

[Elaine]

Hi Johnboy. How brilliant! I used to go to Spurn a lot to watch Autumn Migration and it never ceases to amaze me how far "our" Hirundines travel. I love the way they all swoop around and then, as though someone has flicked a switch, they all head off for their marathon journey.

I holidayed around that area of Wales, some 10 years back and we had some marvellous bird-watches in the Elan Valley. The Red Kites were everywhere we went and I ended up with a cricked neck from continually looking skywards!( It was the first time I had seen them!)
It was May and a wood we went in (don't know where it was without checking my bird notes) was absolutely teeming with Redstarts. Lovely!

That Hobby was a bonus too.
Cheers.

[FelixLeiter]

The swallows and swifts have departed from here now. I remember some years ago watching them all congregate at Slapton Ley, ready to make their move. I saw Hobbies there, too, grabbing a bit of dinner.

I find it achingly sad, perhaps more than I ought, to see them go each year. A pair of swallows would always raise at least two broods in our porch and from our kitchen window we'd see the young take their first flights. Before departing at the end of the season, they would form a line along a telegraph wire, then suddenly they would be gone. But always thrilling to see them return. In the winter, wrens take shelter in their vacant nest at night.

[Monika]

Swallows are still here but no house martins.

[Primrose]

I'm afraid all the migrants in our village seem to have disappeared ages ago. Think they decided that summer was over around the beginning of August.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Our housemartins were still here on 12th September, but had gone when we came back from holiday. We did see quite a few swallows still around in the Yorkshire dales though last week.