Swallows 2015

[timbrayford]

I have just walked our dogs and was delighted to observe a pair of Swallows sweeping low over a field on the Isle of Wight, have they arrived anywhere else yet?

atb Tim

 

[weeman]

No not yet, I'm witnessing a increase in green and bullying finches but a decrease in gold finches. Possibly looking like I've got a tree creeper and nuthatch nesting in my garden. The volume of food is phenomenal they are eating. Not feeding them peanuts as soon dam expensive.

 

[bogtrotter]

No still winter here, woke up to snow cover three times in the last week, no insect life yet for them normally arrive
here the last days of April .

 

[willie_gunn]

They don't seem to have made it to Oxfordshire yet, but maybe they've been distracted by Ventnor and Blackgang Chine

 

[timbrayford]

They don't seem to have made it to Oxfordshire yet, but maybe they've been distracted by Ventnor and Blackgang Chine

Funny you should say that, Blackgang Chine is about 2 miles south of us, the nearby St.Catherines Point appears to be used as a navigation aid for migrating birds.

atb Tim

 

[willie_gunn]

One of my earliest memories is going to Blackgang Chine when on holiday on the IoW and then collecting coloured sands from Alum Bay.
Happy carefree days

 

[CRUMPY]

I saw some beginning of March, oh hang on.....I was in Africa!!!

 

[NigelM]

No Swallows yet in Essex, but did walk past the pond in the back garden yesterday to see a little Kingfisher take off in front of me. Haven't seen one of those here for about 5 years.

 

[Scuttlebuttin]

No swallows, swifts or house martins in my area of County Durham yet, but l've heard of some sand martins being seen in the Fife area.

 

[Claret_Dabbler]

To early here yet, another 10-12 days I would think.

However, next weeks weather forecast is good with decent southerly winds so we might get them a little earlier this year.

 

[paul k]

The first sand martins were recorded in the extreme SW of England on 6th March followed some days later by the odd swallow and house martin but the recent weather seems to have stopped their northwards progress. We've not seen any yet in North Wales but I did see a chiffchaff this week.

 

[deerstalker.308]

Well, no swallows here yet for me, but stone curlews have returned, about 3 weeks ago now, which is really early, and chiffchaffs are serenading the woodlands in the area, spring is in the air....

 

[Jagare]

I heard the blackcock calling this morning a bit early for them to start lecking. We won't see a swallow here for at least another 6 weeks.

 

[Frank Homes]

Heard a chiffchaff on the 27th March.

F

 

[finnbear270]

Goldfinches reccying nesting sites here, some Robin's checking out the garden this year, lots of Curlew roundabouts driven inland by the high winds.

 

[rick6point5]

I have just walked our dogs and was delighted to observe a pair of Swallows sweeping low over a field on the Isle of Wight, have they arrived anywhere else yet?

atb Tim

Good, then they will be with me soon, i always enjoy the acrobatics and excitement when they first set down, and then when the young have fledged and are on the wires plucking up the courage to copy mum and dad's aerial instructions.

 

[yorksjt]

I saw some on the 21st March in Sheffield its self, they were over some rough ground by the river. I haven't seen any others since.

 

[Hawksthorn]

Saw a single swallow on the Glos/Worcs border near Broadway on Saturday the 4th

 

[flyawaymac]

Saw our first swallow early evening yesterday 5th on a very sunny exmoor

 

[longhair]

first one about 15mins ago in warwickshire.very misty and damp here,it didnt to chuffed to be back