Swallows 2020

[JSmith]

Buried my old man today an it was an annual competition to see who spotted the first swallow, he loved to see them, bugger me if we didn’t see the first one last night when we were talking about him in the yard, bought tears to my moms eyes

 

[MrNoo]

As a slight aside, seem to be overrun with woodpeckers here this year, they're everywhere, anyone else noticed this?

 

[yellowbelly]

Swallows here this morning

 

[Av Gorritt]

Still none here , but without a doubt Spring is on it's way ! We've had a glorious show of daffodils , sadly getting over now , but I saw a few "cushions" of primroses and primulas in bloom ,and quite a few cowslips and oxlips waiting to open . Our lot reckoned that Spring was here when you could cover 10 daisies with your foot , and that happened two or three weeks back . I noticed a black feral cat today prowling in the yard . He'd better watch his step when the swallows do come - they dive bomb intruders mercilessly . Son has a rescue cat at his place , lives outside in the stable . This cat will wait under an overhanging shrub for the swallows swooping to ground level after flies . He just waits and pulls them out of the air very skillfully . Sad , I know , but that's what cats do , in the same way that corvids and raptors take ground nester's chicks . and foxes take lambs . Nature , red in tooth and claw .

 

[Danllan]

I'm jealous!! None here yet, only chiff chaff and Blackcaps. No Willow Warblers yet either

Odd, no swallows here - still - and no chiff chaffs or blackcaps, but... I'm spending a bit of time sorting out a small, overgrown pond for my youngest boy and yesterday afternoon I heard and saw some willow warblers. (And I can tell the difference between them and chiff chaffs )

As a slight aside, seem to be overrun with woodpeckers here this year, they're everywhere, anyone else noticed this?

Green or G. spotted? We rarely see greens over here, but they were very common in Herts, whereas we see many G. spotted ones, and they seem far less shy this year than usual.

 

[Lazy Sod]

Our swallows are normally later than most and the house martins come after. As yet we have no swallows, but we do have a pair of house martins that arrived today and went straight into one of our artificial nests on the front of the house. As they do, they were chattering away, just like budgies.

 

[MrNoo]

Odd, no swallows here - still - and no chiff chaffs or blackcaps, but... I'm spending a bit of time sorting out a small, overgrown pond for my youngest boy and yesterday afternoon I heard and saw some willow warblers. (And I can tell the difference between them and chiff chaffs )


Green or G. spotted? We rarely see greens over here, but they were very common in Herts, whereas we see many G. spotted ones, and they seem far less shy this year than usual.

See both, very lucky.

 

[Short_Angus]

2 pair back here this morning, earliest I've ever known ?

 

[Goggles]

More woodpeckers than usual here. No swallows yet. Heard a cuckoo last year, first one for years, hopefully he’s still around. Lots of barn owls about too.

 

[primmiemoo]

No swallows yet, but heard a grasshopper warbler first thing. I need to dig out last year's diary, but I think it's early.

Definitely more greater spotted woodpeckers this last few years. They're hilarious when they chase around on the ground.

 

[uztrac]

|Zero swallows so far,1st cuckoo this morning,and woodpeckers active this morning.

 

[thorpe]

had black caps for weeks feeding on the cordaline about cleaned up they never go on the feeders.

 

[Pushdyke]

No swallows or cuckoo's in mid lincs but still plenty of fieldfare's.

 

[thorpe]

not many fieldfares here this year not seen a redwing saw white egret this afternoon . last week red kite following beet harvester picking up somthing i am so lucky working in the envroment we have supposedly destroyed.

 

[thorpe]

we used to have turtle doves years ago but sadly they went when the elms died but farming gets the blame does anybody else observe such things. a lot of damage done by householder from local estate with 2 springer spanials working our enviro strips. dont get me started on cats. i love our birds and our enviroment i also detest some of the ignorant public its like open house round here at moment rant over ifeel better for it but more tomorrow be glad when field works done at least iwont see it all the time

 

[Farmer_Joe]

Ha ha might not look like it but first swallow I e spotted today went through lambing shed then other buildings

 

[robs1]

Had two arrive wed evening, my favourite birds, love to hear them chattering on the overhead wires, we buried all the cables last year for safety reasons but left the top ones for the swallows to sit on

 

[Cranman]

I saw my 1st swallow on April 1st, a small group passing through, I have not seen one since, but we have House Martins that arrived this morning.

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

They arrived here today , bang on time , nearly to the day .

 

[Kidds]

Saw one today.