Summer Over

Many of us birdy types spend all Winter and Spring waiting for the familiar sight of our first Swallow, Aristotle did say however that 'one Swallow doesn't make a summer' and he could well be right!


Swallows belong to a group of birds called 'hirundines' and here in the Uk we have 3 members of the 'hirundine' group that breed throughout the country.

These are the Swallow, House Martin and the Sand Martin. In addition to these we also have a species of swift, the Common Swift that also spends the summer and breeds here in the UK.

These four species are superficially similar; all of them lightning fast, all aerial feeders and all are long distance migrants.

They spend the winter south of the Sahara and during migration they will cover an astonishing 10,000 miles.

Think about this, it's a long long way, (they are not checking in on a 1st class seat on British Airways!)

The dangers these birds experience is extraordinary, from sand storms, lack of food and water, legal and illegal hunting to mountain ranges, freak weather conditions and predators like birds of prey. They really do run the gauntlet.

They can cover up to 400 miles per day!

Once they have survived this, they then have to settle into our unpredictable and often cold spring weather conditions, when very few insects have even bothered to take to the wing, thus, no food for the early avian arrivals, many perish.

The Sand Martin is always the first to arrive on our shores, being recorded as early as mid February and the majority of them arriving later in the same month. These small brown martins specialise in nesting in holes in riverbanks and quarries.

Next to arrive is generally the Swallow, a familiar bird of the summer, this is closely followed by the House Martin, another bird that is commonly seen in our towns and like the Swallow it commonly nests under the eaves of our houses.

Last but not least is the Swift, arriving in late April and the bulk of them in early May. These Swifts will breed and be heading home by mid August, a long way for such a short time.

The youngsters will leave the nest and won't touch land for a couple of years, doing everything on the wing...sleeping, eating, drinking, amazing!

So, the question is still, 'Does one Swallow make a summer?' or should it refer to the Sand Martin, House Martin or indeed the Swift.

My own summer thoughts belong to the screaming swifts on warm summer evenings, chasing each other as if they are pleased to have made it. I think we should agree that the arrival of the Swift makes a summer as they are always the last to arrive, how can you have a summer without the screaming acrobatic lighting fast Swifts?

So, as the last of the Swallows start their journey home in the next few weeks, spare a thought and wish them well, they have a long long way to go and many of them are just kids, no more than 6 weeks old!!

Good Luck.