The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Baumber, Sunday 31st July

I suddenly realised yesterday that the local swifts must have departed. There were active 'screaming parties' at the beginning of the week which always reach a crescendo in late July. However I don't think I can recall such an early departure date. A week into August is usually the norm and I was thinking that this season would be a late one considering the cold spring and indifferent wet June! Perhaps it's been such a disaster that they've given up and beat a hasty retreat back to the tropics.

Not just Baumber, I couldn't see any over Horncastle this morning. Has anyone else any explanation or observations?

Mike

All last week and up until mid-morning today, there were large (noisy) numbers passing over Cleethorpes.

This afternoon and this evening, I have only noticed the occasional single bird.

Can anyone advise where all these UK East Coast birds are likely to have bred or been bred?

15-20 over Ruskington village centre this am. I think local population left last week.
Dave P.

Resumption all morning today - and this evening - of non-stop movement of swifts over Cleethorpes Not sure how far inland the corridor stretches.

A truly magnificent spectacle - even more so (in my opinion) than the migration of wildebeest from the Serengeti National Park to Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Swifts, after all, are far more acrobatic and entertaining to watch.

David Attenborough ought to get up here asap - he doesn't know what he's missing.

2 Swifts over Horncastle this evening at 20.15

Cheers
Rob

Substantial movement over Cleethorpes this morning - 100-plus between 8.30am and 10am. Those in groups of six or more were screaming. The individuals, two and threes were silent.

The passage slackened off in mid-morning, but it has resumed (mostly twos and threes) over lunchtime
(noon - 2pm).

Horncastle 5th July

I stick by my observations of a week ago but this morning there was a 'Screaming Party' of 10 swifts seen whilst queuing at the traffic lights over the Queen St/ Foundry St area. Two streets of Victorian houses in the town with no doubt still with some suitable roof nest sites.

Further to Michael's report of Swifts this morning, at 17.25 this afternoon my wife and I saw 10 Swifts high over the southside of Horncastle, moving away briefly before they returned 5 minutes later.
This was then 'topped' by the appearance of an Osprey soaring high overhead, circling around, gaining height for a few minutes, before moving off south. This allowed us to get the binoculars
on it for a positive ID.
A first for us over our garden ! Although we had superb views of one fishing on an isolated bay in Cape Verde, off the West African coast in January this year.

Cheers
Rob

9 Swifts over my Scotter (North of Gainsborough) garden this evening (2000hrs).

Swifts all now gone from the skies over Keelby.

Cheers
Jon

_________________
Regards

Jon

Twitter : @Keelby_Wildlife
Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/99787338@N02/
Facebook : www.facebook.com/KeelbyWildlife/

Still a few at Far Ings yesterday. In company with several thousand Sand Martin.

_________________
Regards.
Del.

To err is human. To really louse things up takes a computer

Still seem to be a c.4-5 stragglers (late brood?) at Waddingham - seen yesterday evening and again this morning feeding over the village green.

4 over Foston this evening

_________________
Dr Alexander C. Lees
Lecturer in tropical ecology
Manchester Metropolitan University

Lab Associate
Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
Cornell University

http://www.freewebs.com/alexlees/index.htm
@Alexander_Lees

8 feeding over Boultham mere this morning.

_________________
Regards,

Andy.

6 feeding over my Scotter garden last night (Thursday 11th) at 1900hrs