Swift arrivals....? (1 Viewer)

Over many decades...(too many to mention), there has been a more or less regular consistency to the incoming migrant Swifts. If your lucky, you might see your first within the last week of April before they arrive en masses in the first week of May.

This has been my experience in NE.London, particularly the Lee Valley with it's large reservoir groups. To try and put it in a time frame perspective, my earliest records have been a single over the KGV April 18th many yeas ago, and last year a single "whistling through" on April 27th (at home).

Last Saturday April 21st, at home late afternoon, just as it clouded over and was looking a bit stormy, I picked up "high" circa a mile+ away over the KGV group of reservoirs, first several, then counted up to a dozen at least, before they disappeared into the cloud. To my mind based on the last 45 years of observations, this was an unprecedented number at such an early date!

The following day from the same reservoir a dozen+ were reported, no doubt the previous days birds lingering, following on to yesterday another circa 70 reported from the Staines group!

Would anybody else like to comment on these early records?

Cheers

Perhaps to be expected Ken, did I read that you had record April temperatures? I suppose if the warm weather system brought their food up from the south they just followed?
None in Annecy yesterday though, but it was only 21C❄️

Richard Prior said:

Perhaps to be expected Ken, did I read that you had record April temperatures? I suppose if the warm weather system brought their food up from the south they just followed?
None in Annecy yesterday though, but it was only 21C❄️

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Yes Richard, clearly they came up with the extreme temperatures from the South, the question for me is...with the weather reverting to normal for perhaps the next couple of weeks and the resulting plunging temps.aloft, will Apus apus tough it out, or do a sharp exit South until temps rise? Cos this much heat early on has probably never occurred beore. :eek!:

Who are you calling Eeyore? Bloomin’ cheek.
I know the Swiss have had some fascinating results from analysis of the data gathered from the satellite widgets they’d attached to Alpine Swifts, not sure whether Common or Pallid have been subject to similar study yet.

Richard Prior said:

Who are you calling Eeyore? Bloomin’ cheek.
I know the Swiss have had some fascinating results from analysis of the data gathered from the satellite widgets they’d attached to Alpine Swifts, not sure whether Common or Pallid have been subject to similar study yet.

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Bloody predictive text!...It'll probably start a war one day!

Interesting that miniature widgets (if fitted) to Common Swift might provide some answers, perhaps one of the advantages of having a greater age span is that you should have greater recall of personal early/late dates....how I envy you Richard certainly unprecedented early multiple arrivals in my short time on the planet....that's for sure.

KenM said:

Over many decades...(too many to mention), there has been a more or less regular consistency to the incoming migrant Swifts. If your lucky, you might see your first within the last week of April before they arrive en masses in the first week of May.

This has been my experience in NE.London, particularly the Lee Valley with it's large reservoir groups. To try and put it in a time frame perspective, my earliest records have been a single over the KGV April 18th many yeas ago, and last year a single "whistling through" on April 27th (at home).

Last Saturday April 21st, at home late afternoon, just as it clouded over and was looking a bit stormy, I picked up "high" circa a mile+ away over the KGV group of reservoirs, first several, then counted up to a dozen at least, before they disappeared into the cloud. To my mind based on the last 45 years of observations, this was an unprecedented number at such an early date!

The following day from the same reservoir a dozen+ were reported, no doubt the previous days birds lingering, following on to yesterday another circa 70 reported from the Staines group!

Would anybody else like to comment on these early records?

Cheers

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Is this so early?

I expect to see them in Nottingham which is North and inland of London, from the first week of May so coastal sites will be earlier.
I would also say that I probably, almost certainly, overlook, high flying birds until they start to call so they are probably here a bit earlier.

I wouldn't say that the third week of April is particularly, early for London?




A

I wonder if these are British breeding birds? I suppose we will never know.

andyadcock said:

Is this so early?

I expect to see them in Nottingham which is North and inland of London, from the first week of May so coastal sites will be earlier.
I would also say that I probably, almost certainly, overlook, high flying birds until they start to call so they are probably here a bit earlier.

I wouldn't say that the third week of April is particularly, early for London?

A

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From my experience multiple occurence of Swifts is very unusual this early...indeed in earlier years perhaps over a 20 year period when I religiously almost on a daily basis, would hunt the KGV group (a traditional assembly point) scanning for early migrants, any single Swift found would be a real bonus during this last week.

Yes singles, two's and three's in the dying days of April the norm, however when you're talking a dozen+ on the 21/22 and c70 on the 23rd that is exceptional!

I saw my first (German) Swifts today, which is normal (or even a bit late), but seeing flocks of 35 and 50 this early was unusual indeed.

I heard some few weeks ago. People thought it might have been Starlings mimicking their calls but there were no Starlings around.

I heard a Starling imitating a Swift earlier today. And also saw my first two Swifts of the year (at a different place!) :t:

one at Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk last Saturday, hawking at head-high level rather than moving through at considerable height

Ken. I'm with you on the remarkable spike that often used to occur in north-east England in the first week of May as opposed to no more than the odd few in late April. Here in the south-west, at least where I live, there are no breeding Swifts so I can't compare with you regarding this year's arrivals. (I did however have a remarkably early Common Swift several years ago on something like 23rd March - seen extremely well by myself and others, no chance of it being Pallid. Funnily enough, Fair Isle had their earliest ever about 10 days later). I suspect your late April numbers this year have absolutely everything to do with the spike in temperature experienced around the south-east at that time. Most people here have been commenting on the later than average dates for the increased arrivals of such easily viewed birds as Swallows, Wheatears and Willlow Warblers - and I notice my Beachy Head correspondent wondered where all the Willow Warblers were? We received what ought to have been a promising four day series of south-easterlies at the beginning of April only for nowt to happen, migration-wise. I notice the temperatures were pretty low in France at the time and assumed the Saharan migrants hadn't progressed that far? The low numbers of Wheatears this April has been quite astonishing, only 1-2 days of double figures and many days with seemingly none at all (on St Agnes, at least, and similar comments from St Mary's)

As to whether they might turn round and go back for a short while. I don't know if you recall a few years back one of the BTO Cuckoos landed on the south coast of England one day in mid-April, found it not its liking, and next day was back in Paris! Back in north-east England for a visit a few summers back, I was told by a learned friend that radio-tracking Swifts had shown that in bad summer weather there, the local birds made massive long-distance feeding flights down the east coast of England and across to the Low Countries for several days at a time.

Britseye said:

Ken. I'm with you on the remarkable spike that often used to occur in north-east England in the first week of May as opposed to no more than the odd few in late April. Here in the south-west, at least where I live, there are no breeding Swifts so I can't compare with you regarding this year's arrivals. (I did however have a remarkably early Common Swift several years ago on something like 23rd March - seen extremely well by myself and others, no chance of it being Pallid. Funnily enough, Fair Isle had their earliest ever about 10 days later). I suspect your late April numbers this year have absolutely everything to do with the spike in temperature experienced around the south-east at that time. Most people here have been commenting on the later than average dates for the increased arrivals of such easily viewed birds as Swallows, Wheatears and Willlow Warblers - and I notice my Beachy Head correspondent wondered where all the Willow Warblers were? We received what ought to have been a promising four day series of south-easterlies at the beginning of April only for nowt to happen, migration-wise. I notice the temperatures were pretty low in France at the time and assumed the Saharan migrants hadn't progressed that far? The low numbers of Wheatears this April has been quite astonishing, only 1-2 days of double figures and many days with seemingly none at all (on St Agnes, at least, and similar comments from St Mary's)

As to whether they might turn round and go back for a short while. I don't know if you recall a few years back one of the BTO Cuckoos landed on the south coast of England one day in mid-April, found it not its liking, and next day was back in Paris! Back in north-east England for a visit a few summers back, I was told by a learned friend that radio-tracking Swifts had shown that in bad summer weather there, the local birds made massive long-distance feeding flights down the east coast of England and across to the Low Countries for several days at a time.

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Sorry but how is this remarkable, what am I missing?

Birds in Nottingham will arrive in small groups but there are also bound to be the odd, early, individuals?

They probably mass up on the coast before they move inland or North thus, groups arrive together?



A

andyadcock said:

Sorry but how is this remarkable, what am I missing?

Birds in Nottingham will arrive in small groups but there are also bound to be the odd, early, individuals?

They probably mass up on the coast before they move inland or North thus, groups arrive together?



A

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I don't know, Andy. What are you missing? I'm simply agreeing with Ken that my experience seems to match his. Almost every year without fail from 1980-1990 Swift arrivals in north-east England would spike dramatically (or remarkably ) to three-figure counts practically overnight in the first week of May having been either largely absent or in single figures in the fortnight previously. Much the same in Cork City 2001-2006. Most other migrants I can think of at least have a spell of being in double-figures in-between and have a wider spread of arrival dates. I'm not speaking for everyone by saying it's the same all over the country - although your first post seems to suggest a roughly similar pattern in Nottingham to what Ken and I are agreeing on? I think. In other words a count of 70 anywhere in the country before the end of April seems unusual, no?

Britseye said:

I don't know, Andy. What are you missing? I'm simply agreeing with Ken that my experience seems to match his. Almost every year without fail from 1980-1990 Swift arrivals in north-east England would spike dramatically (or remarkably ) to three-figure counts practically overnight in the first week of May having been either largely absent or in single figures in the fortnight previously. Much the same in Cork City 2001-2006. Most other migrants I can think of at least have a spell of being in double-figures in-between and have a wider spread of arrival dates. I'm not speaking for everyone by saying it's the same all over the country - although your first post seems to suggest a roughly similar pattern in Nottingham to what Ken and I are agreeing on? I think. In other words a count of 70 anywhere in the country before the end of April seems unusual, no?

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Not sure about 'anywhere', as I said, I think they build up on the coast before they disperse inland?

My first sightings in Nottingham will usually consist of several birds which seem to have arrived together.


A

It appears that posts 1,9 and 13 are in accord with the pattern of arrivals this year....the multiple arrivals being a good week early, which for Swift a consistent performer (I suspect throughout the land)....several at the onset of the last week followed by the majority a week to 2 weeks later?

Cheers

My first Swift was about a week earlier than 'normal' this year - and there had been a few others even earlier in Yorkshire.
So, yes, I think this has been an exceptional year.

andyadcock said:

Not sure about 'anywhere', as I said, I think they build up on the coast before they disperse inland?

A

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Sorry, Andy, I have to disagree with you there. I've been a coastal birder all my life and I don't find any evidence for this. The majority of birds arriving in England in the spring, not just Swifts, have a remarkable (that word again, I'm afraid ) propensity to arrive directly at their breeding sites, sometimes much to the chagrin of us coastal birders awaiting them on our patch. For example, from my current perspective on Scilly, we are lucky if we get just 1-2 Redstarts/Pied Fly/Wood Warbler a year (in spring) yet I was talking to an inland patch worker a couple of weeks ago and he told me that they expect arrivals of said species at their breeding sites in Devon in direct response to south-easterly winds, the exact same winds we coastal types are hoping for them to land on our doorsteps. What we get on the coast is normally just a tiny fraction of the breeding populations as a whole. A number of studies have confirmed that, in general, particularly in fine weather, the majority of birds shoot straight over the coastlines. Much depends on a rather rare conjunction of meteorological events, such as the exact timing of precipitation, to ground birds where they wouldn't choose to be. And Swifts being such strong flyers might possibly require an even rarer series of events to disrupt their migration than, say, a Willow Warbler? BWP states: 'movements around depressions to avoid rainfall reported in many parts of Europe'

Of course, it might be interesting to see what we define as 'the coast'. The two coastal patches attached to a large landmass (as opposed to islands) I'm most familiar with - Whitburn (South Tyneside) and Ballycotton/Old Head of Kinsale (County Cork) - we had what you might call 'the diminishing Law of Returns' as you walked 'inland' about half a mile from the immediate coastline, so a half a mile to a mile would satisfy my definition.

It occurred to me yesterday afternoon that Swifts being colonial nesters might be one of the reasons to account for their sudden appearance en masse in the first week of May? En masse is the key phrase here in Ken's observation, the odd one or two, or even half-a-dozen in the last week of April aren't worth commenting on. A count of seventy is, I think?

I agree with Britseye - on the coast of North East Scotland we very often get our first wheatears, ring ouzels, chiffchaffs etc a couple of days after they were first noted inland. Obviously all migrants hit the coast before anywhere else - but if they don't hang around (lack of suitable habitat, or migrating at night etc) then we don't encounter them here.

However for less regular/non-breeders (e.g. lesser whitethroat) the vast majority of records are coastal. It's
an interesting possibility that those undergoing a 'normal' migration head straight inland but those slightly off course stop as soon as they can?