Swifts

[MissMarplesNiece]

How are the Swifts round by you this year?

I noted in my nature diary last year that they had returned on May 11th. This year I haven't seen or heard any. DH told me he'd seen some on his way to work last week, and someone in a local wildlife group said the Merlin app had picked up Swifts flying over a local park, but I'm quite worried by not seeing or hearing any at all yet.

Apparently it can take 10yrs for swifts to find eg a swift brick! But if you play swift calls to them it can be quicker.

East Yorks here and I was watching the swifts yesterday circling around. Merlin was picking up their calls too.
I might be wrong but I always think they come a bit later (in the year), I think of them as darting around in the dusk, early evenings.

Merlin, running off my bedroom window sill has picked up swifts, swallows and house martins.

Driving to my work (North Hampshire) there has been a cloud of swifts over the local canal/mill pond.

They arrive in the UK from early April, but mostly May and depart again in August. I know what you mean though, I associate them with dusky evenings which will probably be around 8 / 8.30pm during August evenings. Mine were massively early this year and I sighted my first on 29 March.

I've had a pair nest at the stables. They raised 5 that have now flown the next. It was amazing to watch them grow!

Thanks Rainbow . It's probably more as they are ready to leave that I notice them.

Ours were back two days early, def not as many as in past. We have a big old building opposite which had lots of swift nests in. Dh once saw an owl pick one off the wall while it was feeding its chicks.😢 but the building was converted into flats and all the nooks and crannies blocked. 🤬
But I almost got hit in the head by one last week. It zoomed past me between the buildings.

I haven't seen or heard any at all this year, and no swallows or house martins either.

That's very sad. They really do need all the help they can get if we are not going to lose them altogether.

I think they've left - not seen or heard them for a week now. For me is it always heralds the end of summer & coming of autumn when they go.

Fly high & safe little birds.

Our ndn came round a few weeks ago, they'd got a grounded swift. Knew dh is a keen birder and thought he'd know what to do.(he didnt) but we got help from a rescue. So we ended up standing on a hill releasing it. It was so beautiful, almost reptilian.
Ours have all gone, I think just before the storm.

I believe that the adults leave first, the young ones just fly around and about, go up really high and make their way South much more slowly, but no one really knows for sure.

We did spot one or two at the weekend wheeling around quite high, but we haven't seen or heard our beloved shrieking aerobatic squadron for a couple of weeks. The swallows and martins must be quite relieved to see them go!

Haven't heard or seen any swifts for a week or two here. Heard house Martins in the garden a couple of days ago and saw Bank swallows at the nature reserve yesterday, but it's very noticeable that Autumn is upon us early now here on the NE coast of England