Swifts coming over Dunster Beach with House Matin and a few Swallows all heading westward this week including today.

Seems like a good year for swifts in many places. Ten birds screaming at start of season and about thirty five doing the same thing last week. Certainly the best season we have had at Leighland, West Somerset. Still nine or ten birds this evening.

I caught up with just a single Swift at Huntspill sluice this morning. Just after high tide there I also saw a single Cattle Egret, 2 Common Sandpiper, 6 Blackwit, 2 Ringed Plover. 1 Wheatear and a fly over Peregrine that decided to attack the very dense flock of Shelduck on the Steart side. I lost sight of it in the clouds of birds that went up.

On Friday, there were at least 50 feeding over Wellington - double the usual maximum, so presumably another colony or migratory group joining the locals. A few still over yesterday, but numbers dropped off a lot.

I have been looking skywards a lot this weekend and have been rewarded with sightings of 3 swifts both yesterday and today (04 August) silently feeding over the Langport Bow Street back gardens and Cocklemoor by the River Parrett. Presumably the last of this year’s local breeders.

It was a late start to the swift breeding season in Langport due to poor early spring weather, but at least 20 were present and back on territory on May 10th. Numbers peaked in the hot weather in late July with 35 seen in the evening on July 19th and at least 40 on July 20th feeding in a tight ‘swarm’, at mid-day, calling loudly in light rain and low cloud as the hot weather broke. All in all an apparently better than average breeding season here.

The skies have now sadly ‘fallen silent’ till next year. At least we still have good numbers of house martins present, 15 seen today.

I was going to post earlier. Since reporting on the 29/7, only seen the occasional singleton over the house.

None seen or heard for the last couple of days.

Anyone seen one in August yet? 4 mornings in and I have been looking hard with no sign. Westhay village, Ham Wall Tealham and Cheddar Res all blank.

Appears a reasonable year.

Approx 20 over the house today - plenty of aerobatics and screaming.

Three flying over Tesco’s in Wells today.

several flying around and above the Catholic Church area in Cheddar this evening

4 Swifts over Somerton at lunchtime

Further five (maybe 7) joined the ones from this morning - having a little scream over the house.

Five Swift over Ilminster this morning.