Fetch Birdwatchers
165 watchers
18 Jul
3:02pm, 18 Jul 2024
5,507 posts
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J2R
I'm pleased to report that the small posse of swifts over my garden has doubled in size, it's 6 today! Not only that, but occasionally there have been larger groups of maybe 20 or so. Most I've seen this year here. I'm enjoying it while I can!
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18 Jul
3:16pm, 18 Jul 2024
66,877 posts
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Derby Tup
They’re having a feed up before nipping off
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18 Jul
3:34pm, 18 Jul 2024
6,302 posts
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TheScribbler
This swift chat has reminded me of a lovely day a couple of years ago when I sat under a tree near the boating lake and had swallows, swifts and sand martins swooping and screaming in great numbers all around me. Not always easy to determine swifts from sand martins here unless you get a flash of their belly, but I haven’t seen many of either this year. And very few butterflies. |
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18 Jul
4:19pm, 18 Jul 2024
5,508 posts
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J2R
Yes, Scribbler, very few butterflies indeed. A tortoiseshell showed up in the garden yesterday and I found myself thinking "Wow, a butterfly!", which is ridiculous. On the plus side, one of the consequences of all that rain which has affected the insect numbers is that the countryside is looking as lush and beautiful as I've ever seen it. |
18 Jul
7:42pm, 18 Jul 2024
5,921 posts
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paulcook
We had a walk with the dogs this afternoon some around a well grown wild meadow. We both said we saw more butterflies during that one walk than the rest of the summer just about.
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18 Jul
8:37pm, 18 Jul 2024
5,512 posts
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J2R
@paulcook , one of the very odd things this year is the fact that it has, thank goodness, suddenly become common practice to leave verges, margins, etc., to grow wild, and people are doing the same with their garden, so there are effectively far more wild meadows everywhere (at least round here), and yet there are far fewer insects. These places should resound to the hum of insects and yet they do not. Maybe they will do over the next month or so, there's plenty of summer left.
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18 Jul
10:26pm, 18 Jul 2024
4,733 posts
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Curly45
We're overrun with insects here, opened the back door today and could barely see out 😂 But we also have cliffs behind up the hill so lots of bats, swifts, swallows and house martins. Apparently (according to my mums friend who is a swift expert), swift numbers have gone up as last years chick's have just arrived. They stay and feed for a few weeks then all swifts leave together. |
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19 Jul
9:25am, 19 Jul 2024
5,515 posts
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J2R
@Curly45 , I don't understand that. You mean last year's chicks have just recently arrived from Africa? 20-25 swifts high above my garden again this morning. I am seeing rather more insects now than I was a few weeks ago, it has to be said. And there are still easily enough to spoil my attempts at a snooze in the garden by landing on my face. |
19 Jul
10:00am, 19 Jul 2024
4,514 posts
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jacdaw
@J2R Last years young, the one year olds, that don't breed until next year, come to check out breeding sites for a couple of weeks. Because they aren't breeding they aren't in a hurry to get here, so arrive late, and don't stay long.
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19 Jul
10:05am, 19 Jul 2024
5,932 posts
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paulcook
jacdaw wrote: @J2R Last years young, the one year olds, that don't breed until next year, come to check out breeding sites for a couple of weeks. Because they aren't breeding they aren't in a hurry to get here, so arrive late, and don't stay long. That sounds like a club 18-30 holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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