I have just joined the group so thank you for excepting me. The swallows have not arrived at my stables usually arrive sometime around 26th March Norfolk UK, so they are late this year. Hope they arrive soon here. They have been with us as soon has stables were built 14 years ago.
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Swallows etc in uk 2020 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
Barrie Armitt
Barrie Armitt
First for me yesterday at 09:45 (04/04). Moving south down the sand dunes and at sand dune height. Will have been feeding into the southerly head wind.
Regards
Baz
Regards
Baz
Carol Rushton
Well-known member
Had my first 2 Sand Martins this year on the 22nd March, Catcott Somerset, both flying high below one of the 4 Red Kites that I saw there that day.
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Officially sanctioned exercise bike ride up to a local pond this afternoon produced a mixed flock of about 50-60 birds, mostly Sand Martins but also a few Barn Swallows and one or two House Martins - all 3 my first of the year :t:
Swallows and Sand Martins in Aberdeen since the early part of the week. I saw my first House Martin yesterday.
Think I heard one at the weekend but I didn't see it so I'm not too sure.
Hornchurch
Active member
'
I'm on the West side of North Norfolk here, near coast, but NOT near the Fens, or suchlike.
We overlook farmland mostly, with some woodland on the periphery.
Saw my very first 'African Import' of 2020, yesterday, Sunday 12th April, just after lunchtime.
House Martin - just ONE lone House Martin, who'd settled on my Farmer-neighbour's Telegraph wire.
Whilst it WAS a most welcome sight, it's unusual to see him 'alone'
We're usually inundated, in the gigantic field(s) opposite, yet here he was, "on his lonesome".
Same field opposite, is large enough to land AND park several squadrons of C.130 Hercules & still land more....
(it's most certainly long-enough & forms a long block, separating 3 x villages)
So we always do see swallows 'surfing' the cornfields, for low-flying insects.
Not sure what crop it is this year, but, last-year we had 2 x Oystercatchers breeding outside/opposite.
They're back again (as a pair), plus countless Partridge (which proliferate), plus a few pheasants
Problem is also the ridiculous 'sharp' changes of extreme weather !!!!!!
We've had a good 4-5 days of 18-20-degree weather = Yesterday reached 21-degrees here.
Yet, very late afternoon, it clouded-over AND a bitterly-cold East-wind kicked-in.
Late-afternoon/early evening, tempratures plummeted, right down to a ridiculously cold 8-degrees, from 21 !!!!!!!
It has stayed that way, all throughout the daytime today, a bitterly ice-cold wind, keeping it at 8-degrees (Highest is '8' , Jeeeez)
You naturally DO NOT expect the weather to change SO sharply & dramatically, by 65% or so :storm:
Might just explain as to "why" Mr.Martin was all on his lonesome-pine !!!!!!!
(yesterday, wafer-thin shirt-sleeves - yet today, multiple fleeces & scarves !)
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Turned out what I heard were Starlings, their call was very similar to Swallows.
I finally saw one outside my house.
