The Kerreran
Has hat, will stand in the rain
So there I was, watching the local Common Swifts messing around the rooftops from my back garden yesterday evening, when to my surprise I see one in active primary moult. Both P8s [ie. the third longest] had been shed and were in the process of regrowing. I only got one good look at this bird and before anyone asks it didn't come close enough to get plumage indicators in the dusky conditions. [[Photo? :-O ]]
What I was wondering was if anyone had any experience of Common Swifts actively moulting primaries at this time of year? BWPi says not so much, but what the books and so on say and what can actually happen are two different things, so I am calling on the vast wealth of experience here.
While I'm at it, what is the earliest you've ever seen juveniles on the wing? 'Late July' is the normal quote, but I was wondering if anyone knew better?
Thanks in advance!
What I was wondering was if anyone had any experience of Common Swifts actively moulting primaries at this time of year? BWPi says not so much, but what the books and so on say and what can actually happen are two different things, so I am calling on the vast wealth of experience here.
While I'm at it, what is the earliest you've ever seen juveniles on the wing? 'Late July' is the normal quote, but I was wondering if anyone knew better?
Thanks in advance!
