Swallows

[Khandro]

Any sightings yet? I keep a record & for two years they arrived here (South Germany) on exactly the same date, 22nd April (in 2 days time).
I have 8 martin's nests on the front of my house all vacant & ready.

[Togo]

No Swallows here Khandro but the Swifts have been around for about 3 weeks. Well named.

[Peter Pedant]

an early report - may be hard to swallow

I keep track of cherry blossom - May 19th - 1999
and some already over 20 april, twenty y later so I dont doubt it is getting warmer

[KARL]

I am aware that migratory birds appear to be late this year, from cuckoos on the Iberian peninsula to meadow and wading birds in Iceland. The lag seems to be of the order of 7-14 days, depending on place and species.

[Prudie]

Without doubt I saw 3 a couple of weeks ago, they circled my garden and I saw them clearly but haven't seen them since. It was uncharacteristically early.

[Barmaid]

House martins were first seen here yesterday.

We are also fairly certain we heard a cuckoo three or four days ago.

[ladybirder]

I saw the first hedgehogs in my garden a year ago today.
Nothing yet this year and with the traffic nose to tail and doubt I will.
I've not see any swifts or swallows yet either.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Our curlews are in full voice, again a little later than usual but so far the swallows have not returned to the barn to nest. Each year I have baby swallows sat on my fence above the kitchen window, their parents teaching them to fly but still feeding them. Last year they had two hatchings.

[haras2]

Swallows seen here on the Preselis near Hermon about 2 weeks ago. I didn't see them myself but they did get a mention in the Guardian letters !
Our cuckoo(s) are usually very punctual, arriving on the 14th/15th April every year. How do they do that ?

[Khandro]

Great News! They've just arrived : 30th April 16:00.
The sky is full of them - wonderful.

[rowanwitch]

Still waiting for the housemartins, a month later than last year....

[Barmaid]

We've got the swallows too now.

And the hedgehogs at full volume mating in the garden! My goodness they make a noise (although, I cannot imagine mating with anything that prickly to be entirely pleasant).

[alavahalf]

Was beginning to think the Swallows had called it off this year .. they have just arrived today .. we are on the West Sussex Coast.

[Arrods]

"And the hedgehogs at full volume mating in the garden! My goodness they make a noise (although, I cannot imagine mating with anything that prickly to be entirely pleasant)."

As the old joke goes - How do hedgehogs make love? Answer - very carefully.

[Arrods]

Yes, a cuckoo, a couple of days ago.