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Alpine Swifts breeding here?

Folkestone Claret
12/06/2023 10:43

We have at least one alpine swift appearing to be staying for the summer, possibly a pair.  One bird perched atop a dead tree briefly yesterday allowing a good sighting and a poor grainy iphone snap.  There happened to be a group of goldfinches in the same tree so with those to compare I reckoned it to be blackbird size.   First thought was ring ouzel but subsequently seen in flight it's unmistakeably of the swallow or swift family.   Approaching later from distance (presumably) the same bird was in the same tree and this time I think there were two of them but couldn't be positive.  We are just below the North Downs scarp north of Hythe, where I gather there were Alpine Swift sightings in March.

  • 12/06/2023 14:32
    Well much as I hesitate to contradict those who know, but we have swallows nesting in our stable and in constant circuit around the place. This bird is twice the size and has a squarish white patch across all its chest. So I stick to my guns. Will keep a lookout and try to get a clearer picture.
  • 13/06/2023 12:51
    Apologies if I have unwittingly stirred up some inter-personal stresses here. I may indeed have been wrong, all I can reiterate as to the sighting was that this bird caught my attention in the first place because it was so big. It's for that reason I remain convinced it wasn't a swallow or a house martin though I accept that the white breast is common to all three. So we'll carry on looking-out. Others here (in Postling) are saying they too have seen a big swallow-like bird feeding on the wing. I accept swifts don't perch - but there are references to them having short legs so they can attach to rock faces so I thought from that that they do come to ground (or tree) even if only occasionally.

    Apropos of nothing to do with alpine swifts, I have been an RSPB member for donkeys' years without ever posting before now, so if I have any more toots about sightings I will be careful to use the term "Possible". My efforts on behalf of the bird life here on a 2-acre plot have been to establish 700m of layered hedgerow now home to great numbers of the usual suspects but including a pair of yellowhammer that are nice to see. There are literally hundreds of sparrows here now where there were none when we first moved in 12 years ago.

    Thanks to all who helped guide me on this one.

    Lynn