Kitchen Garden Forum

Seven swallows seen in the last two weeks but none have been here at home. Last year was a very bad year with very few pairs staying the season to raise more than brood but the previous year 52 youngsters flew away on migration.
Hope for a better year this year.
JB.

No Swallows, or the Cuckoo yet, but hoping they will be here soon...

First Swallow and a few Sand Martins spotted whilst out at the local RSPB reserve

oldherbaceous wrote:No Swallows, or the Cuckoo yet, but hoping they will be here soon...

Pa Snip is definitely >>>>> Cuckoo,

is that soon enough OH ???

I think it pays to be a little.....Cuckoo, Pa Snip...

Although they are a little late this year Swallows are arriving in good number and going through in good numbers and
I now have six pairs on the power lines I can only hope they stay and more stay. We seem to average around twelve pairs and many more in years gone by. Martin's are also passing through.
JB.

Frost and snow up here last night, hope the Swallows stay down south for another week or so

No swallows yet in Northumberland (in Alnwick where I am anyway) but we've had Chiffchaffs for a few weeks now and the first Blackcaps have been singing their gorgeous hearts out for a week now

The chiffchaffs are chiffchaffing away here, but only one willow warbler so far which is getting quite late. No swallows or blackcaps yet either.

We don't get swallows around our house I think it's to built up but we do get them down the plot but none up to now

Hi Monika,
Sadly the Willow Warblers pass me by now but we have Chiffchaffs and Black Caps that are now residents here now.
Due to the position of the hills my property is a main corridor for migrating birds and I get a very good idea as to what is arriving and leaving. We now have 14 pairs of Swallows on the
power lines this morning.
JB.

First Swallow sighted at Gunby, E. Lincs today. Seen during our 10am coffee break

Clive.

Sadluy down to 8 pairs of Swallows yesterday morning. The good thing is that they are already nesting freshening up the old nests and one pair in the Stable the female is now on the nest solidly. The rest of them moved on but there is still time for further couples to come in.
JB

There were two swallows near here on 16th but I've not seen any since. There used to be hundreds around two nearby farms but they've (converted) them and one barn has fallen down and the other has had all the slits filled in. It should be made law that developers provide or maintain nesting sites.

As a kid I spent many an hour lying in the field listening and watching skylarks they were very common ,I can't remember the last time I heard one it was years ago,even on our plot which backs on to wild fields that are totally untouched by machine you do not hear them