South for the Winter

[Arnie]

Hi to all

Anybody still have swallows about reason being last Sunday we had a warm afternoon quite sunny and about 10 to 15 swallows buzzing over the allotments I just love these aerial acrobats.

The last couple days have been a bit damp and wet today has been dry and warm and I only spotted one and that was on the wing heading south

I do love the Autumn as it signals a slow down in the growing season and a time to harvest all of your crops but I also hate it as all the swallows head south for the winter


Kind Regards & Best Wishes

Kevin

[PLUMPUDDING]

There are still a few swallows here in Yorkshire, and the house martins are still around. They seem to be gathering into larger groups though, so probably will be leaving very soon.

I miss their calls when they go, it is noticeably quiet.

[Primrose]

Swifts and swallows all seem to have departed mid/late August around here. Keep scanning the skies for the odd late one but nothing so far.

[Arnie]

Hi Plumpudding

I had forgotten about the chattering they do and yes it is a little bit quieter

I am off to Yorkshire this weekend we are staying in Robin Hoods Bay for a couple of days, so I might spot some swallows over the weekend if I am Lucky

Kind Regards

Kevin

[Geoff]

Most of ours have gone apart from the family in my photo in the other thread. However we are on a migration route (an old N-S Roman road, what did they know?) so we see groups going past all day. It is strange how they mass on the wires but they don't migrate as a flock, quite spread out really.

[Chris]

Hi

We were surprised to see a couple of swallows last weekend in Moray - North Scotland. Think they have been taking the newspaper reports of global warming a bit too seriously.

[Parsons Jack]

We went to Fairlight country park on saturday, about 20 miles along the coast from here. There were about 30 House Martins gathering on the phone lines. Where we live, there haven't been all that many at all this year.

[Johnboy]

Hi PJ,
Not too far from where you live I actually recorded two Cuckoo's on the power lines on December the 9th.
Viewed from the lighthouse at Dungeness Point and they were actually only about 50 ft away!
As for my wonderful Swallows they have long gone but again I had a pair, like Geoff, who were a tad behind the others and were still bringing up a brood when the main lot went. They fledged on the Sunday morning but had disappeared by mid morning. These fledgling were taught to fly on the way to Africa.
When this happens I often wonder whether they actually manage to make that enormous journey.
Geoff's brilliant photo is one in a million and should actually win him some praise should he have a mind to enter any competitions.
JB.

[Geoff]

Thanks for that JB, I would have sent it to Countryfile as "Wildlife in Action" was their subject this year but it was about 10 days too late.
We have been getting migrators all weekend but not seen any today, bit grey and damp.

[arthur e]

Hi all
I was surrounded by about 20 swallows while in the garden yesterday, a few house martins as well. One thing I havent seen this year is Ladybirds, not one.
Arthur e

[Johnboy]

Yesterday there was a constant flow of Swallows and House Martins over the plot. We had some good weather during the evening and they were feeding over the plot but still drifting south all the time.
JB.

[Geoff]

A few Swallows and House Martins today as the sun and the midges came out.

[jane E]

Beginning of September our swallows were feeding their second brood. We had a real drop in temperature and a heavy day of rain and they disappeared - parents and first brood - leaving second brood in nest - to die? or dead from cold and wet? Don't know.Did the flies drop off? We were surprised that the urge to migrate overtook maternal instincts, if they did and youngsters weren't already dead.

[Catherine]

I saw a solitary swallow on Wednesday on my way to work. It was a lovely warm morning so the midges must have been out. I stopped and watched it for several minutes. I didn't see anymore around. I hope it makes the journey though I feel it may be too late.