Fetch Birdwatchers

2 lurkers | 165 watchers
5 Jun
5:50pm, 5 Jun 2024
21,249 posts
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flanker
Our first ever GSW in the garden this morning too.

Swift and swallow numbers do seem to be down on our patch this year.
5 Jun
8:51pm, 5 Jun 2024
5,761 posts
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icemaiden
Swifts OK here. Seen some that I think are nesting in a house.
5 Jun
9:20pm, 5 Jun 2024
5,121 posts
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paulcook
Can't say I necessarily count them any year. Though I reckon I've seen a good few decent sized screams of swifts so I didn't think any different to normal.
5 Jun
10:15pm, 5 Jun 2024
4,465 posts
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jacdaw
Swift numbers seem tiny compared to when I was a child (50!! years ago). I remember huge numbers around Keswick and Bassenthwaite, and quite good numbers around the edges of Newcastle. When I lived in Sheffield (Crookes), there were big groups nesting in the terraced houses; that was 20 or so years ago. Now I never see them in more than single digits, and even where I live now the numbers have collapsed in the last 10 years.

There has been a 60% drop since 1995 ( bto.org ), and I strongly suspect there had already been a considerable decline up to 1995.

It worries me that people aren't recognising these population crashes, probably because they aren't old enough to remember what healthy populations looked like. Shifting baseline syndrome! esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
5 Jun
11:07pm, 5 Jun 2024
32,184 posts
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Rosehip
lots of swallows around a farm/shop/cafe I visited today, but not the crowds I remember from my grandparents' farms in the 70s.

Haven't seen as many here as previous years either and the house martins are definitely getting fewer each year :( - but I did see four or five swifts over the green here this evening, which I haven't seen for the last couple of years :)
5 Jun
11:09pm, 5 Jun 2024
32,185 posts
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Rosehip
still no starlings on the bird feeders, new batch of baby blue tits are being shown where to go though
6 Jun
11:34am, 6 Jun 2024
5,762 posts
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icemaiden
Barn owl over the field last night.
7 Jun
11:30am, 7 Jun 2024
7,432 posts
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Winniefree
One swift seen our walk this morning, which is one more than last summer.
7 Jun
11:34am, 7 Jun 2024
5,137 posts
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paulcook
After the discussion earlier this week, I noticed 3 from my office window earlier on this morning. None right now. Think the most I saw on one day out on the road next to work was at least 9.
7 Jun
12:59pm, 7 Jun 2024
66,241 posts
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Derby Tup
World Swift Day innit

Going to try and find one on my lunchtime walk

About This Thread

Maintained by AngelWings
Big Garden Birdwatch 26-28th January rspb.org.uk

BTO BirdTrack: blx1.bto.org

BirdTrack App: bto.org

BTO Website: bto.org

Website for identifying dragon & damselflies: british-dragonflies.org.uk

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