SWALLOWS - Are they in lockdown?

[dodger]

Haven't seen any yet his year which, given the lovely weather, is surprising.
They're usually here by now.
Anyone seen any??

[Oldjohnw]

They're in Yorkshire. I'm expecting some up in Northumberland any day. But I believe numbers are down these days.

[geomannie]

Not swallows, but we saw our first sand martins in Glasgow on the 15th of April. They are always the first of swallow/martin/swifts to arrive

[reohn2]

None yet,others have seen them locally but they're playing a joke by keep hiding from me
They're crafty creatures!

[rjb]

They are here on the Somerset levels. Have seen lots of herons, swans and cranes too.

[rotavator]

They arrived in Cumbria about a week ago, a few days after the house martins.

[roubaixtuesday]

Sighted in Cheshire last weekend

[Paulatic]

Nothing here I suspect numbers are down as we got none last year
My Woodpecker has gone and I’ve not had my usual flock of Long Tailed Tits at the fat. Good news is Blackbird numbers are up it looks like I’ve three pairs nesting here.

[Mick F]

Always seem to be later down here.
Maybe they come across the Channel at a narrow point and spread north from there. Maybe they don't turn hard left for Cornwall!

Also, don't they go back to where they were born?
If so, it could be that some families are generally later arrivals than others. Maybe they over-winter further south so it's a longer journey.

I'm willing to be educated on this!

We've had Swallows threads on here over the years and people report them as far north as Scotland before we seem to have any here at all.

[Oldjohnw]

I think they first arrive at Brownsea Island off Poole in Dorset.

[ANTONISH]

I've seen very few in recent years.
I heard and then saw a lark a few days ago - quite lifted my spirits.

[reohn2]

Always seem to be later down here.
Maybe they come across the Channel at a narrow point and spread north from there. Maybe they don't turn hard left for Cornwall!

Also, don't they go back to where they were born?
If so, it could be that some families are generally later arrivals than others. Maybe they over-winter further south so it's a longer journey.

I'm willing to be educated on this!

We've had Swallows threads on here over the years and people report them as far north as Scotland before we seem to have any here at all.

They do return to their previous nesting sites,but they follow the insect hatchings.I reckon we're a week late with spring this year but by now we should be seeing more Swallows than we have.It could be a lack of food in North Africa or Southern Europe that's caused many to die on the wing or they're simply waiting for the food chain,it does happen even in the UK prolonged cold snap can cause devastation to the Swallow and Swift populations with birds simply dropping out of the sky for want of insects.
It's interesting but insects if it's cold(particularly midges which are the Swallow,Swift and Martin's staple diet) won't hatch from the pupea and remain in suspended animation then when the temperature goes up they all hatch at once.Spring is an unusual time of year for fluctuating temperatures and from the Swallow's POV it needs insects all day long both for itself to remain airborne and for it's nestlings,even a very short period of time without food and the whole family dies.

[Oldjohnw]

The young stay on in the UK a bit to fatten up. Remarkably, they make the trip to South Africa never having been before. Occasionally - and I think this happened a couple or so years ago - they were late, possibly because of a late Spring here, and many never made it back. Today's young are next season's adults.

[dodger]

Last year I saw some at Rame Head, near Plymouth at the end of March, but none here (about 18 miles North West) until the middle of April.
I wonder if it's partly because it's been so dry lately, and maybe insects haven't hatched as normal?
Plenty of other birds, but not my favourites. My neighbour has a barn where they nest and they zoom in at high speed through a narrow slit window. Amazing to watch and it seems incredible that they never crash.
PS, our barn owl has gone. A real shame but I suppose it might have died. It's been nesting in the owl box for around 8 years.

[Mick F]

R2.
Thanks for the info. Much of it makes sense.

Spring - here at least - wasn't late at all. It's about the same as it is every year, and maybe this year it was a bit earlier.
Spring starts in the SW and works its way northwards. Spring here, starts early March and sometimes in late February.

Listening to Radio Four only a few days ago, they were discussing the daffodil harvest in Scotland and how there were few pickers available.
As far as we're concerned in the Far Southwest, the daffs finished a few weeks ago, and I wasn't aware that daffs grew that far north. Having lived in Scotland on and off over the years, we know that spring is always late up there and summers are short. Never saw any daffs growing wild like they do down here in the hedgerows.

Why aren't swallows in the Far Southwest before they get to Scotland? Midges and flies here most of the year.
We've had seven months of damp and dreary weather August to February, and no winter at all to speak of at all, so loads of insects to eat.