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Apr 2018
11:39am, 19 Apr 2018
530 posts
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bonners
Lots of singing skylarks this morning and a couple of ringed plover on the beach.
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Apr 2018
12:24pm, 19 Apr 2018
18,332 posts
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Wriggling Snake
I forgot to mention, a decent handful of Swallows, Derwent Valley, Peaks, Sunday, plus a Treecreeper as we were going up Win Hill
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Apr 2018
12:28pm, 19 Apr 2018
1,174 posts
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J2R
alpenrose, are you sure they weren't black kites? Black kites are all over the place in Switzerland - in fact various other countries in continental Europe as well, which always makes me wonder why they're so rare here.
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Apr 2018
12:39pm, 19 Apr 2018
32,767 posts
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alpenrose
J2R, you're probably right, I'm just a novice at this birding game.  I always thought that a raptor with a forked tail was a red kite, but perhaps that only goes for the UK.
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Apr 2018
1:21pm, 19 Apr 2018
943 posts
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Dochart
first patch swallow of 2018 today - finally - one swooping into a barn quickly pursued by another. 9 days later than 2016, and 13 days later than 2017.
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Apr 2018
2:26pm, 19 Apr 2018
1,175 posts
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J2R
alpenrose, it's probably true (?) to say that a raptor with a forked tail is a kite, but not necessarily a red one. A few years ago I remember seeing another variant, a black-eared kite, on a reserve on the Wash. (This is another one of those identification features which you can't imagine picking up in the field. One of my favourites is the 'short-toed treecreeper' - I can't imagine myself looking at a treecreeper and thinking, 'My, that treecreeper has unusually short toes').
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Apr 2018
3:41pm, 19 Apr 2018
2,504 posts
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steve45
Quite late for Redwings alpen but not impossible..and after all, what else could they have been..? Good spot.
Haven't seen a Swallow yet but they are about in the area and I was hoping for a Whitethroat (was it J2R who saw one?) this morning but all quiet except for WillowW, Blackcap, Chiff and Cettis.
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Apr 2018
4:24pm, 19 Apr 2018
1,177 posts
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J2R
Yes, steve, whitethroat spotted yesterday. Still no swallows. Haven't done my usual route though, today, instead choosing to do a gruelling efforts session, on the hottest day of the year so far. Grim!
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Apr 2018
4:55pm, 19 Apr 2018
25,663 posts
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Derby Tup
Another local swallow today, but again alone
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Apr 2018
5:14pm, 19 Apr 2018
32,770 posts
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alpenrose
Re the redwings steve, I didn't think they were as big as a mistle thrush and there was actually a yellowish tinge under the wings when they took off. They wouldn't stay still long enough and didn't like me getting too close. They stayed quite close to the ground and kind of hopped/flew.
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