The swifts have already left, a little earlier than usual. Many of us learned more about these amazing birds at Ailsa Claiborne’s swift talk in June, prior to walking to the Square to see our swifts returning to their nests. The same birds will return to the same nests next May, after a round journey of 7000 miles!
The swallows and house martins are still with us, but the swallows can already be seen gathering on the wires, a sure sign that they will head off in the next few weeks. The house martins will leave around the same time, and they too will return next April to the same nesting sites that they used this year. If they are lucky enough to find their old nest, they will renovate it, which will save them about ten days work gathering mud and starting from scratch. Sadly, all these birds are in serious decline.
The garden is very quiet now, as many birds go through their annual moult, ready to appear in their bright new plumage in the weeks ahead. Most of the young birds will also have moved away from their home base, and as the month wears on, we will see many mixed flocks of juvenile birds busy searching for food or for potential new territories.
Comments