Swifts, swallows and house-martins are not known as "garden" birds as they don't land or feed in our gardens but at this time of year they are often flying around and over our gardens.
Swallows feeding: Richard Bowler (rspb-images.com)
The high pitched purring call of a swift is a delightful sound of summer that we hear from May to July as they swoop through the air to feed on flying insects. Paul Stancliffe from the British Trust of Ornithology shares a video on the different calls of Swifts and Swallows to help us identify their distinct differences and there is a short "tweet of the day" from the BBC with info and the calls of House martins.
Visually, Swifts are larger and darker almost all over with long scythe shaped wings, Swallows are smaller, have a rusty coloured throat with a long thin forked tail and House martins are even smaller with white underparts and throat and a short forked tail. It would be easy to tell the difference if you were to see all three in the air side by side but of course we're unlikely to witness that unfortunately!
The Swift, Swallow and House Martin all migrate to and from Africa; Swifts continuously fly without roosting and can complete the journey in a matter of a week! ... whereas Swallows can take around 6 weeks over all as they roost during nights. The House Martin migration seems to be a bit more of a mystery as to exactly the routes and methods they take but they are known to re-use old nest sites when they return here to the UK.
The way in which we can help Swifts, Swallows and House martins is to stop or minimise our use of pesticides in the garden which depletes their food source and we can make or buy nest boxes to offer them a home. The RSPB shop offers pre-made homes for Swifts Swallows and House martins or we can attract swallows to a nest by creating an opening in an outbuilding and supplying a ledge as a place for them to build a nest. They love old buildings with beams or anywhere with nooks and holes for a high, interior, tucked away site.
House martins prefer to nest under the eaves on the exterior of buildings and there are tips online on how to make your own home for them, Swifts and Swallows if you wanted to encourage them to nest around your home.
These birds have travelled so far to be here and are the sound of summer in our British skies so enjoy their short-lived sounds while they chatter to each other for these few short months and see if you can spot the difference or encourage them to nest near you.
For inspiration on wildlife gardening, the Flatford Wildlife Garden, open every day until October from 10.30am – 4.30pm. Entrance to the garden is free and well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Car parking is £5 at the Flatford National Trust car park and this gives you access to the stunning countryside walks around Dedham Vale in Constable Country.