43 counted over our garden in Somerton at 7.50pm this evening.

At the risk of expanding the original thread even further from Langport… 10 screaming swifts over Dunster early this afternoon. At 1730, between Dunster village and Dunster beach, 150+ swifts in a loose group covering perhaps a square kilometre, this time silent. Largest group I’ve seen for quite a while.

Quite a surprise this morning, a large group of Swifts over our house in Ilminster.

Between 30 and 40 individuals.

Could Roger’s paler Swift be a Pallid Swift ?

20 Swifts is the Chipstable peak count so far this year.  Best count (by one) since the 27 of 2018.

Seems like more insects here than in previous recent years, I’m delighted to say.

Hirundines also doing well so far, here.  Peak count some weeks away, I assume, but looking good for the time of year at the moment for both Swallow and House Martin, with an HM nest on our house for the first time in about 12 years (so may mean other sites are saturated).

30/40 Swifts over Stockmoor rhyne at the moment. One has a pale light brown underside, not white, easily seen as it flies away from me. Any ideas?

20 Swifts hawking over Stockmoor this morning and they will be there again this evening, but not in the numbers of previous years. Nowhere near for nesting sites but Bridgwater town centre seems roughly the same as last year. Noticeably much lower numbers of House Martins. Recently been to Portugal and on the Danube and HMs everywhere.

Similar here in Ilminster - would say 30% down on last year. Biggest ‘squadron’ so far around the house is 7-8.

It’s only a feel, but the number of insects seems significantly down too.

Interestingly, we were in Madrid in early May and there didn’t seem any shortage of Swifts - large numbers everywhere we went.

Even some of the modern buildings were being used as nest sites.

I have also been concerned about fewer swifts this year in Wells. Two or three years ago I counted a maximum of 11. Last year it was 8. This year, only three in the usual town centre are where they breed, and they came late. I’ve had one fly-past of 5 here on the edge of town - we have a swift box (as yet unoccupied) and I play swift calls each year; the party of 5 came in response to that. There’s only one breeding site in town, and I’ve been trying to create another. But I fear time may be running out.

We reckon there are fewer Swifts in Somerton as well..  Also noticed a lack of House Martins..
Thanks for a great post John. As you say we notice the Swifts ” screaming”.
Is anyone aware of any more scientific evidence of reducing numbers of Hirundines?

In the hot sunny weather this weekend (25 June) the Langport breeding population of Swifts have been entertaining us with their ‘social screaming parties’ of at least 20 individuals over the insect-rich habitat of Bow Street back gardens and the riverside area of Cocklemoor and beyond. Not sure if the population is about the same as last year, but possibly a bit lower. How do you work out the breeding population from these sightings? Is it 20 pairs, or fewer? Maybe only 10? It is always such a joy in mid-summer to see them in their aerial displays especially early and late in the day. Sadly in a month’s time they will all be gone south for their winter of never landing, until they return to nest here again next summer.

In the same insect-rich air space there were at least 12 swallows but only 8 house martins, frequently alarm-calling as the local sparrowhawk passed overhead. I think the hirundine breeding population in Langport is also slightly down on previous years, but again not sure. Hopefully they will all rear good numbers of young in the weeks ahead.

Meanwhile the background sound of the ‘social screaming parties’ of young people moving slowly and clumsily on their paddle boards and inflatables in the River Parrett at Cocklemoor provides a stark contrast to the effortlessly-elegant Swifts in the airspace above. This is summer at ‘Langport-on-sea!’ Crazy times hereabouts.

Does anyone know if swifts and hirundines are having a good summer in your patch in Somerset?

Thanks to Mark Cocker for the term: ‘social screaming parties’.

Thanks, John

PS. Sorry for the long post, but I have been somewhat dormant for the past year!