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Jul 2020
9:11pm, 2 Jul 2020
16,907 posts
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Rosehip
Love LTTs 
On my run this morning I helped pick up a gent who had tumbled from his bike trying to move out of my way. I'd seen him watching birds over a patch of " field boundary conservation area" and he told me he was watching meadow pipits - and he was! I've never seen them here before - but there were at least half a dozen
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Jul 2020
10:09pm, 2 Jul 2020
1,717 posts
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flyingfinn
DT I missed your reference to the Elton cafe this morning. Sadly it is no more. I can't remember when it closed but it's at least 15 years ago, probably nearer 20. The owners sold the house and the new owners didn't continue the business.
Scarthin Books is open again after being closed for most of the he last 3 months. I can remember the details but there are currently strict access rules and a time limit on how long an individual can spend in the shop. So far the cafe has remained closed and I suspect will continue to be closed for a while.
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Jul 2020
10:16pm, 2 Jul 2020
17,963 posts
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Chrisity
It takes about an hour to get out of the shop ff. Never seem to find anything i want in there, too much choice.
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Jul 2020
10:18pm, 2 Jul 2020
43,926 posts
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Derby Tup
I have vague recollections of going to Elton once maybe since I moved to Yorkshire (Oct 2004) and the cafe being no more. Scarthin is great and it’s lovely to hear they’re open again. I’ve spent many a happy hour looking through books there and buying them, plus upstairs in the cafe
Another nice spot for a birding walk is along the river at Millers / Water-cum-Jolly Dale. A circuit down and round starting in Litton is great. It was on the return leg where I took the above photo
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Jul 2020
11:03am, 3 Jul 2020
43,939 posts
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Derby Tup
I like this (but would ignore the comment about swifts feeding higher than the other birds). Seen on a wildlife trust website
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Jul 2020
11:40am, 3 Jul 2020
6,139 posts
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Eynsham Red
That’s useful DT. Since I asked the question about identifying what was what a few days ago, I’ve not seen them since. I’d say from these pictures that what I saw were swifts.
They all have similar wing leading edges but the swift has a much finer wing.
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Jul 2020
11:55am, 3 Jul 2020
43,945 posts
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Derby Tup
Swift are relatively easy to spot. The biggest issue for me is differentiating between house martin and swallow especially early in the ‘season’ before I’ve got my eye in. The birds are quite vocal and that helps. Sand martin tend to be localised (they like riversides) and just look different to the other hirundines
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Jul 2020
12:58pm, 3 Jul 2020
2,833 posts
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J2R
Interesting thing about swifts flying higher. DT is right, it's not a hard and fast diagnostic feature, but I do think they tend to do so. Except, maybe, at certain times - when I went for my dawn run a week or so ago, one thing of note was low-flying swifts over the water, which I don't tend to see in the normal day time.
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Jul 2020
5:43pm, 3 Jul 2020
45,161 posts
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alpenrose
I haven't seen many swifts this year but I did spot one the other day. I also went past the broken down barn and heard the baby swallows in there so all's good in the 'hood.
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Jul 2020
6:22pm, 3 Jul 2020
19,230 posts
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flanker
Swifts will be high unless nesting nearby is my understanding, and when nesting they can be under roof height. It's not really needed with swift's distinctive wing shape, but if anyone has fast enough eyes to see the throat patch at the speed they travel I'm envious!
The swallow one is slightly misleading imo as the female has a far less forked tail without the streamers, and is far easier to confuse with a martin if you can't see her bum!
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