OneGuyFromBarlick

There are two swallows at the farm next door, but no sign of ours yet. We were watching two buzzards soaring high above us this afternoon near Kelbrook Moor, what a magnificent sight.

Apparently we had a swallow around the other day, but I didn't see it. If I remember rightly Wendy you get them before us usually.

That's right Gloria, our swallows have arrived a week or two before yours for the past couple of years...I wonder if it will be the same this year?

Your first was the 25th April last year Wendy.

I saw two swallows last week - but when I got closer, they were pigeons. Time for a new opticians prescription I think.
In my defence they were swooping around like swallows though.

I'm waiting anxiously Moh!

They are about, saw some at Bradley after lunch at The Slaters Arms on Saturday.

Two of ours have arrived and are busy flying in and out of the stables chattering their heads off. They have a lot to say, even to me when one nearly had my head.

Spooky moment this afternoon at the care home. Went outside -lovely day here- and in full view were a pigeon and a swallow.
I had a strong feeling that someone up there has read this board, and thought "I'll show the sill b****r what the difference is". II's not just google that keeping an eye on us all.
Can't really understand why they don't stay here - why go another 200 miles?

Come on swallows, where are you?? Leave the warm south (where some folk mistake you for pigeons ) and come home to the freezing, wind blasted north!

Wendy,
you should live nearer the sea than Barlick, it's a lot milder here.

Thanks for the offer Gloria, I'm packing my case now....do you have room for my ponies?

Ha ha Wendy, we could always make room.

But she's miss the view from the backyard.....

One swallow fluttering around in the barn tonight!

Two days later than last year - hope more have arrived by now.

I hope they know more than we do and are a harbinger of Spring!

We have just had a jackdaw on the bird table, and there was a pigeon getting really annoyed at it.

We have a colony of Jackdaws in our part of Barlick. Clever birds. One of them used to imitate car alarms and mobile phone ring tones but I haven't heard it for a while..... They are also devils for building nests in chimneys, I once had my flue blocked and we spent three hours extracting three bin bags full of twigs. There's a cowl fitted now! Harold Duxbury once told ne that they had a regular job each year cleaning the flue on the heating system at Gill Church.
The black birds with the white collars are back in Valley Gardens. Remind me, what did we decide they were? Do they migrate? If so, they're back!

There are a lot of Jackdaws round here, they take just about everything Col puts out on the bird table. I didn't realize how small they were till I saw one next to a crow.
The swallow must have been just passing through...no more activity in the barn.

Check your flues!

There are some very noisy swallows in the barn now. I can't decide if it is a couple bickering over the best nest site to choose, or two rivals competing for the best nest.

The swallows arrived at Middleton on April 19th which they say is 2 days earlier than last year. They are collecting mud from the lane where there has been a burst.

Moh. They are clever at nest building aren't they. I've seen a couple flying about lately in the town.

We seem to have three pairs nesting in the barn this year after a late start.