swallows and martins

Hi,

I haven't seen any swallows yet, but we watched a flock of sand martins foraging for insects over a river in Staffordshire last week. Lovely!

Saw loads of martins catching flies over Stover Lake (Devon) last Thursday. Must have been a lot of insects about that evening because when I got home there were 2 bats hunting above my garden & I went to bed with the first mozzi of the year !  

I live near Carmarthen in South Wales, the last outpost for any migratory species, and have seen 1 pair of swaollows, along with 3 dead hedgehogs!  Not only is it very early for the swallows, but my hedgehogs don't normally visit until the end of April

Nicola B said:

i have just been for a run through the burrows in north devon and seen swallows and sand martins. it seems very early for them. are they normally here this early?

Hi Nic,

Unsure if its early, not been a birder for very long. However from my little experience, Minsmere has just had its first Sand martins arrive and I saw a few swollows at landguard common near where I live. Thats suffolk by the way, so if they have 'jumped' from the continent, they should be coming inland already or anytime now :)

Regards

Chappers (and the Wife.)

Saw our first swallow today, flying low over the River Teign. However was out in that particular patch looking for sand martins & kingfishers. Didn't see either & sad to say that bank erosion has washed all the old nest holes away. Not good news.