It's getting to that time of year, when those hirundinidaes, or for the less educated like me, swifts, swallows, house and sand martins are returning to the UK to breed. We've read and heard the stories where the nesting sites have been blocked, off with netting etc, here we can share the happier moments of these birds in their majesty.
They can be tricky little birds to photograph in flight, fast, darting around, up-down. flying around (for those wondering, the words came from the opening theme to Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines film, where a group of wouldbe aviators flew from London to Paris in around 25 hours during the VERY early days of flying, theme tune HERE), but why not have a go, so I'll start the 2022 thread off with, very much a case of grab the camera and shoot photos, because the sun was at the wrong angle, and hadn't been good all day to be honest.
The link to last years thread Swifts, Swallows & Martins, share your photos and videos here 2021 for those who want to look back at the many photos shared, and all were good and most welcome to view.
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/277106/swifts-swallows-martins-share-your-photos-and-videos-here/1354849#pifragment-4285=1
My first swallow for 2022
My first, I think, house martin, please correct me if I'm wrong. [post edit, sand martin, thanks to Bob and Zo for the correction]
Both taken at RSPB Conwy
Trip to Whitby 29/04/22 coincided with my first swallow sightings of the year. Heavily cropped images as I was set up for landscape.
More by luck than judgement...
Sand Martins today
PimperneBloke said:More by luck than judgement...
Nice photo PB
If its any consolation, most of mine were luck more than judgement.
If its any help, I've found for my swift and swallow photos 1/2000 sec shutter seems to give the best results, though sometimes, depending on the light, 1/4000 will deliver a crisp photo, but only sometimes.
I've been seeing Swallows for a couple of weeks now, heading North along the coast mainly (I'm in Mid/N. Wales). Saw my first Sand Martins this year yesterday, stopping to feed and drink along the mud flats where the freshwater from the hills meets the tidal waters of a small lagoon. No House Martins yet... Patiently awaiting my Swifts now, boxes up and ready... My local Swifts normally arrive in numbers around the second week in May, although they were late last year, with my first sighting on 25th May. They were in two of the boxes by the first week in June and finally vacated on the 17th and 22nd of August.
Swallows taken yesterday:
jgtuk said:
I've been seeing Swallows for a couple of weeks now, heading North along the coast mainly (I'm in Mid/N. Wales). Saw my first Sand Martins this year yesterday, stopping to feed and drink along the mud flats where the freshwater from the hills meets the tidal waters of a small lagoon. No House Martins yet...
I was at RSPB Conwy a few times over Easter, and they had sand martins and swallows, both quite prolific there for a little while.
Our swifts are late down here in the West Midlands, but we've not had any southerly winds for a long time, so nothing to assist migration.....
They haven’t reached me yet so I still havnt seen any signs of Swallows or house Martins yet.