[ChrisKten]

I'm useless telling Martins, Swifts, and Swallows, apart, so rather than guess, I'll ask.

Rubbish picture, but assuming there's enough detail, the tail is too short for Swallow?, so I'm guessing House Martin, am I close?

Thanks.

[cheersm8]

Thats a Swift Chris! Lucky you. They are not back to my town yet.

[Cristian Mihai]

Swift indeed.

[ChrisKten]

Thanks Joe, there's loads of these at my local Reservoirs. If you don't mind, why is it a Swift, what should I look for?

[cheersm8]

Originally Posted by ChrisKten

Thanks Joe, there's loads of these at my local Reservoirs. If you don't mind, why is it a Swift, what should I look for?

Long scimitar shaped wings, over all the same colour ( swift will show a pale chin, but you don't see it very well when they are whizzing past). Their screaming will realy give 'em away, once they get started. Very fast, more direct flight than Swallows or Martins. Often very high. They don't 'flit and hover' like the martins and swallows.
Discounting a Swallow's long tail streamers, swifts and martins will,roughly, fit into a square, but a Swift never will.

[ChrisKten]

Originally Posted by cheersm8

Long scimitar shaped wings, over all the same colour. Their screaming will realy give 'em away, once they get started. Very fast, more direct flight than Swallows or Martins. Often very high. They don't 'flit and hover' like the martins and swallows.
Discounting a Swallow's long tail streamers, swifts and martins will,roughly, fit into a square, but a Swift never will.

Thanks Joe, I'll have to practice watching them Saturday. I see them all often at this time of year, as they roost in trees at the Reservoirs.

[cheersm8]

Originally Posted by ChrisKten

Thanks Joe, I'll have to practice watching them Saturday. I see them all often at this time of year, as they roost in trees at the Reservoirs.

Chris! You do need to practice! Swifts never roost in trees. I bet what you are seeing in the trees are sand martins, they do congregate in big numbers to roost at the beginning of spring,when they first get here, and then again in the autumn,when they get ready to leave.
Swifts spend nearly all of their lives in the air, even climbing to extremely high altitudes, to roost on the wing. The only time that they land is to breed.
If you are interested, and you do a bit of 'googling' I bet you can find radar images of roosting swifts a couple of miles up in the atmosphere.
Swifts are also one of natures best things to use as a weather forecast! The lower they are flying, the more likely that rain is on the way. Or already raining in which case, you don't need 'em to tell you!

[ChrisKten]

Originally Posted by cheersm8

Chris! You do need to practice! Swifts never roost in trees. I bet what you are seeing in the trees are sand martins, they do congregate in big numbers to roost at the beginning of spring,when they first get here, and then again in the autumn,when they get ready to leave.
Swifts spend nearly all of their lives in the air, even climbing to extremely high altitudes, to roost on the wing. The only time that they land is to breed.

LOL, I told you, Joe, I'm useless at them.

[Gretchen]

Hey Chris, I'm with you, I have so much trouble with these species, so I'm glad you raised the question. I followed Joe's suggestion and found this nice link, with great photos and good info on one type of swift. A good way to get to know these birds a little more.

[ChrisKten]

Originally Posted by Gretchen

Hey Chris, I'm with you, I have so much trouble with these species, so I'm glad you raised the question. I followed Joe's suggestion and found this nice link, with great photos and good info on one type of swift. A good way to get to know these birds a little more.

Thanks, Gretchen; some great pictures and info there.

[Enji]

Originally Posted by cheersm8

Chris! You do need to practice! Swifts never roost in trees.

Actually, Swifts CAN roost in trees... I have never seen it myself, but I've read about it. Don't think it's very common though... :)

[chris butterworth]

There's a photo in an old copy of British Birds ( back when it was "small sized" ) of a Common Swift roosting in a tree, it it hanging from a pendulous branch, looking very strange. Swifts, at least the ones we are likely to see in UK, have "sickle" shaped wings while Swallows / Martins have more "triangular" ones and, when the two are together, and it's warm, Swifts tend to hunt higher.
Chris

[Gwynn]

Originally Posted by chris butterworth

There's a photo in an old copy of British Birds ( back when it was "small sized" ) of a Common Swift roosting in a tree, it it hanging from a pendulous branch, looking very strange. Swifts, at least the ones we are likely to see in UK, have "sickle" shaped wings while Swallows / Martins have more "triangular" ones and, when the two are together, and it's warm, Swifts tend to hunt higher.
Chris

Here is a link to the photo http://home.swipnet.se/~w-61325/Cons...ach/swifts.htm

and another article http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...TRY=1&SRETRY=0

Gwynn

[ChrisKten]

Well from what's been said, I think that I'd better try and get pictures of what is actually roosting in the trees (apart from the Herons and Wood Pigeons )

[njlarsen]

I want to reword the description of the swift wing to say that the front side and back side of the wings are parallel for much of the length of the wing, while in swallows and martins the wings start very broad near the body and then become gradually narrower along the length of the wing, creating the triangular shape that was referred to.

Once you get the hang of it, the wing motion is quite different.

Niels

[phil baber]

In Bialowieska Forest, Eastern Poland, they nest in trees. Albeit in cracks and crevices.

[Kentbloke]

Chris, it's a swift, I'm jealous! Considering I'm on the 'front line' down here I've yet to see what I consider the real harbinger of summer. When I lived in London, swifts were generally appearing around the 25th (earliest for me was 22nd). Ah well, I did get the Alpine version which spent 4 day around Folkestone a few weeks back so mustn't grumble!

[skatebirder]

Originally Posted by Kentbloke

Chris, it's a swift, I'm jealous! Considering I'm on the 'front line' down here I've yet to see what I consider the real harbinger of summer. When I lived in London, swifts were generally appearing around the 25th (earliest for me was 22nd). Ah well, I did get the Alpine version which spent 4 day around Folkestone a few weeks back so mustn't grumble!

There are a few back in Southampton this week (three flew over me on the 21st) there are now one or two in the sky over my house, and it's great to have them back!

[ChrisKten]

Originally Posted by Kentbloke

Chris, it's a swift, I'm jealous! Considering I'm on the 'front line' down here I've yet to see what I consider the real harbinger of summer. When I lived in London, swifts were generally appearing around the 25th (earliest for me was 22nd). Ah well, I did get the Alpine version which spent 4 day around Folkestone a few weeks back so mustn't grumble!

Don't be jealous, Mick, I thought it was Sand or House Martin. As I said, there's loads of Swifts and Martins at the Reservoirs. I think it's the huge volume of water that attracts them (10 massive Reservoirs); that and the millions of Midges/Gnats/Flies that are over there. I only go over there for 2 hours at a time, but I took over 1200 pictures on Friday and Saturday; I think every picture had at least one Fly in it, some had 100s in.

[Kentbloke]

I think it's my luck Chris, it's definitely on the blink! I spent 4 hours today at Stodmarsh - Kent's finest reserve IMHO, and it was good: Hobby, Cuckoo, Nightingale plus loads more but I've only seen one swallow so far this spring until today - when I saw my second!

Edit: I've just learnt, that while I was at Stody, a White Tailed Eagle, a Honey buzzard, martins and..... swifts were encountered there! So it's official, my luck is *******

apologies for going o/t

[ChrisKten]

Originally Posted by Kentbloke

I think it's my luck Chris, it's definitely on the blink! I spent 4 hours today at Stodmarsh - Kent's finest reserve IMHO, and it was good: Hobby, Cuckoo, Nightingale plus loads more but I've only seen one swallow so far this spring until today - when I saw my second!

Edit: I've just learnt, that while I was at Stody, a White Tailed Eagle, a Honey buzzard, martins and..... swifts were encountered there! So it's official, my luck is *******

apologies for going o/t

LOL, not all *******, Mick, Hobby, Cuckoo, and Nightingale, are great birds.

[dram7]

Is that early for down there? Here in Aberdeenshire never seen one before(earliest 18th May). Normally 20th onward. One day none . Next day hundreds.

[skatebirder]

Originally Posted by dram7

Is that early for down there? Here in Aberdeenshire never seen one before(earliest 18th May). Normally 20th onward. One day none . Next day hundreds.

My first Swifts in Hampshire:
2005: 25 April
2006: 26 April
2007: 24 April
2008: 25 April
2009: 24 April
2010: 21 April

So, yes, the ones last Wednesday were a little early - apart from that, they do seem to be remarkably consistent though.
David

[ChrisKten]

It's only just occurred to me, that I never said that I took the picture on Friday 23rd (check the EXIF).

[bob the birder]

Saw my first Swift of the year today here in Wexford. Well 2 actually.