Oscar Dewhurst – Swift

Oscar writes: While I was Minsmere earlier this Spring I spent a lot of time standing on the boardwalk just outside the Island Mere hide waiting for a female Bittern. On one morning there was a large flock of Swifts flying just overhead, and the very strong wind meant that they would stall as they…

A Swift visit to Malmesbury

    A couple of weeks ago I popped down to Malmesbury for the official opening of the Waitrose store there (see previous blogs here and here). I’d been down a week earlier too and the changes since the spring, and in that last week, were quite amazing. ‘Just in time’ hardly covers it! Whereas…

Guest Blog – A Poem for Swifts by Steve Halton

SKY-WORDS: A POEM FOR SWIFTS I’m not interested in being the first to see them, Or seeing them on the earliest date; That’s not important… And I’m happy with that… I could go chasing them (I know where they are) But I won’t, I’ll wait Until They judge it’s time To show themselves To me…

My swifts

They’ve gone for  this year. It’s been such a lovely summer since I got back from the USA in late June.  2013 has been a butterfly year in the garden with lots of large and small  whites and a few green-veined whites too.  Also peacocks, meadow browns, gatekeepers and a single female common blue. My…

Swift

The BTO keeps doing amazing things these days.  In my copy of BTO News there is an article on swift migration. Through putting geolocators on swifts – and rather critically taking them off again a year later – the details of the swifts’ movements in Africa are revealed.  And they are fascinating. The picture on…