Swallows, swifts and house martins

[andy]

Anyone know the difference ?....we have some that are constantly circling and flying round my daughters school...and making quite a racket (pleasant racket !!!) whilst doing so.

But i don't know how to tell the difference. I remember reading once that two of the species are related and one is from a totally different family.

[Susie Snowdrop]

I don't know whether they are related Andy only how to identify them!

The swallow and house martin look quite similar in flight although the swallow is slightly smaller with a red throat and a longer tail. The swift however is much much darker underneath.

Hope this helps!

S x

[Deleted]

If they're flying around making a racket, they're probably swifts.

FA

[nightowl]

I agree with FA, Swifts.

They hurtle around very fast in gangs, screaming as they go ( a very high-pitched sound) and are dark brown all over ( but they go much too fast for you to see that!)

Swallows and Martins are more sedate, and have more of a chattering call, and House Martins have much shorter tails than Swallows, and no red mark on the throat. They are really quite different.

[Deleted]

Did you know that swifts only ever land to make nests and lay eggs. Even then, they can't land on the ground because they can't take off again unless they can drop like from the eves of a barn or somewhere similar. They eat, sleep and mate whilst flying !

Amazing !

FA x

[Deleted]

Andy

These links might help.

www.rspb.org.uk/thingstodo/surveys/swifts/introducing.asp

www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/swallows.asp

FA

[andy]

Thanks guys....looks like they're swifts.

Tis a joy to watch them chasing each other around whilst i wait for my daughter at her school

[Slugger]

Swifts Scream (and have long pointed wings), Swallows twitter and House Martins rattle.

[Weeterrier]

It's swallows I have here I think. I love it when they line up on the telegraph wires in the field behind my house, hundreds of them, ready to fly to warmer lands, just waiting for the sign to go. Despite that, I always shed a tear. Animals are amazing, aren't they?

[nightowl]

It is sad WT, cos you know that Summer is over when you see that! (if it ever really began!)

But not sad for them cos they are off to the sunshine! I'm surprised they didn't just turn straight round when they arrived this year!!

[Shrubrose]

I watched them one lazy (me, not them) summer afternoon (certainly not this year) skimming the pond surface for gnats. It was pure delight.

[carolann]

What a cracking picture.
Carol

[nightowl]

Brilliant photo! He's got his little beady eye on you!

[Shrubrose]

Superb pic. How lovely, they are the most delightful birds.

[Deleted]

Great pic. I love to see swallows & house martins swooping over the ponds and fields. It's one of the sights that says "Summer" to me.

FA x

[chickadeedeedee]

Oh dear. I am in need of catching the forum up on our goings on. LOL! Sorry ... Didn't mean to make that sound so threatening. We have had 16 ... yes ... sixteen Chimney Swifts in our home since May of this year.

They nested in both our chimneys and it is a very loooong story.... I'll spare you. We took photographs of almost all our Swift (Chaetura pelagica) guests.

Here's some of them and all taken on different days:









Lookie at the length of those wings! They are soooo calm in the hand too.

[nightowl]

Beautiful little things C3D. I take it they fell down the inside of the chimneys. They don't really look frightened. Amazing!

[chickadeedeedee]

Hiya Nightowl. The Swifts went through the duct work for the furnace that attaches to the larger chimney and they entered our home through the basement. OMG!!! They are sooo sweet!

[nightowl]

They are so docile C3D. Amazing little creatures.

Anyway, I have some bad news. The Swallows are congregating, getting ready to go.

And yesterday I took this pic of about 50 House Martins gathering on an old farmhouse roof. They will soon be off too.



So that's it, summer's over, just when we thought it was finally starting!!

[Weeterrier]

Yes, Nightowl, they are congregating here too. Such a melancholy sight.

[Dutchy]

Lovely swalow pics!
They are congregating here too but appear not to be going away yet.
They are still dashing around the roof and there seems to be two families only yet. Usually there are more of them.

[carolann]

We have not seen our swallows for a few weeks but today I have seen the house martins still going in and out of their nest which is on my daughters bedroom window. This must be a very late brood, hope that they make the long flight they are such cute little birds.
Carol.

[nightowl]

I have been told about late broods of Swallows which are still being fed by the parents. Hope they don't abandon them when it's time to go!

Possibly they have lost earlier broods to the cold, wet weather and lack of insects.

[jean]

Still got plenty of swallows here and I noticed that they are still feeding their young.

[jean]

They were all lined up on the telephone wires again this morning and the cats were on the window sill "singing" at them

[oldmoleskins]

Lovely pics, JL - it reminded me I haven't seen any of the three for some time... I must look for some, can't bear the thought that they've gone already and abandoned us to our winter fate...!

OM

[Weeterrier]

[Shrubrose]

Last year we had fewer than the year before and this year hardly any. I haven't seen any lining up on the telephone wires, making ready to go. And that is more sad than seeing them lining up to go.

[jean]

The weather has changed over night and don't expect them to here for much longer, its getting really cold over night

[Rosefriend]

We don't have telephone wires etc here apart from the massive pylons as everything is underground but yesterday I watched so many swallow congregating around two oak trees.

Well that seems to have been their farewell flight because they have gone now - not one to be seen today.

RF