First swallows!

[Millymollymandy]

Saw three of them this morning I think we had a swallow watch on the forum last year - must go and have a search!

And first Chiffchaff singing yesterday!

[Millymollymandy]

No, it was a last swallows of autumn watch!

Found this though that I posted on 17th April 2007 so I'll keep it here as a record for me to refer back to.

I saw the first one on 31st March, and there are more around now swooping over my veg patch and the pond. We are a bit further south though!

Didn't hear my first Cuckoo until about a week ago though, which seemed a bit late to me, and the first Blackcap singing only a couple of days ago.

So I know that this year's swallows are really quite early!

[jim]

Dear Mmm,

Wow, they're on their way and bringing summer with them I hope! Will start to scan the skies and let you know when they're above South Hampshire!

Love and Peace
Jim

[Odsox]

I'll start keeping a watchful eye out as well.
We usually have early swallows too, but the cuckoo is always very late getting here, often mid May before I hear one.
On the other hand the chiffchaffs overwinter here.

[wee mary]

Hi Mmm,

I've got a swallows nest (hirondelle de fenetre) under the eves at the front of my house and there's another two round the back, In summer there are loads of them here zooming back and forth from the church in front of my house and we sit and watch them from the living room or the back yard haven't seen or heard them yet but other species of birds have returned so they shouldn't be long now, Only little niggle I have is that the nest in front is directly over my postbox (boite de lettres) so I spend the summer cleaning there crap off my post box and doorstep, oh well, they do say it's meant to be a sign of good luck.

[Millymollymandy]

Hi wee mary, that's a house martin! Swallows like to nest inside barns etc not the outside of houses. Lucky you - well apart from the poo that is. I see them in the village particularly round the church (what is it about churches?) but never over my house. We see swifts sometimes but they're always way high up.

[wee mary]

Hiya Mmm,

Yeah house martins! ( but shhh! don't let my French hubby know, he will insist that they are swallows though I told him I thought they were called house martins,
What IS it with French hubbies always knowing that they are right eh?) Anyway still waiting for them to come back so I'll need to get the little shovel from the fire place ready for the poo.

[Millymollymandy]

I don't know anything about French hubbies as I only have an English one but I guess the confusion is because both species are called Hirondelle! Now you need to get a nice birdie book in English and show him that they've both got different names, they nest in different habitats and they have quite different markings, and as for their tails......

Oh and whilst I'm making a bit of a record of what I've seen on this thread (to refer back to next year) the blackcaps started singing at the weekend and several days ago I saw some pipistrelle bats flying around at dusk!

[Shirley]

Haven't seen any swallows here yet - nor any blackcaps singing, but have seen the bats flitting around in the evenings. We think that they roost in our roofspace.

[jim]

Still none in Hampshire yet, but then the earliest I've ever seen them here is the beginning of April. Won't be long now!

Love and Peace
Jim

[Millymollymandy]

Do bats hibernate does anyone know?

[Shirley]

Do bats hibernate does anyone know?

yes - http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-l ... le/faq.asp

[Millymollymandy]

Thanks Shirl - when I saw them the other night it got me wondering as to whether I had just never noticed them in winter or that they weren't around cos they hibernated!

[wee mary]

The house martins have returned this morning, heard them in the backyard and saw them flying in and out of there nests at the back and front of the house

[Millymollymandy]

My husband heard the first cuckoo here on Monday evening!

Have any swallows arrived in England yet?