Is it migration time?

Mongarra · 02-09-2014 4:36pm #1

I noticed at breakfast time and again at lunch time that Swallows (or, maybe, Swifts - I'm not up to scratch on different bird species) were gathering on the electric wires and chattering loudly before a hush descended and they started flying as if practising formation flying.

Would this be preparation for migration or maybe just this year's crop of youngsters getting together for the craic?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 02-09-2014 4:45pm

Swallows congregate in large numbers at thus time of year. The numbers are swollen by this year's young. They will stay in flocks until they finally leave us around the end of september.

Capercaille · 02-09-2014 7:54pm

Corncrake will start their perilous migration to Southern Africa in two weeks time. The good weather this week will enable them to put on vital weight for the journey.

Mongarra · 03-09-2014 3:52pm

I hope there is somewhere for them to settle when they return in 2015.

tricky D · 03-09-2014 4:12pm

Our martins didn't go for a second clutch this year possibly suggesting an earlier than usual departure.

Durnish · 03-09-2014 4:53pm

There were lots of second brood swallows out on the Dawros peninsula, Portnoo. Amazing to follow their progress.

Question, do hardened west coast swallows have the same migration route as those soft east coast wans? There is some talk from County Down visitors that Strangford swallows arrive later and leave earlier than the Wild Atlantic Wans.

Zoo4m8 · 03-09-2014 6:28pm

That's something I've wondered from time to time, we seem to be on the east coast migration route here, when the swallows and martins start to leave we will have days and days of thousands of purposeful low flying , high speed , hedge hopping birds, usually in the mornings... I have often stood and watched..can be spectacular at times, if not a little sad..

mr.wiggle · 03-09-2014 7:14pm

All the swallows from the nests in our factory were buzzing around quite frantically yesterday and making quite a racket as well. SOme really amazing flying going on. They'd all meet up on the buidling roof, have a natter then all take off chasing each other.
Its all quiet today out there so reckon they have departed on their travels.
Is it a change in temp., wind , pressure or sunlight that sets them off, any ideas?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 03-09-2014 7:26pm

mr.wiggle wrote: »

All the swallows from the nests in our factory were buzzing around quite frantically yesterday and making quite a racket as well. SOme really amazing flying going on. They'd all meet up on the buidling roof, have a natter then all take off chasing each other.
Its all quiet today out there so reckon they have departed on their travels.
Is it a change in temp., wind , pressure or sunlight that sets them off, any ideas?

Its thought to be length of day that primarily drives the migration followed by weather conditions. They would not be departing for a few weeks yet. When it happens it can be a slow lazy operation unlike the rush that happens in spring.

vistafinder · 24-09-2014 11:00pm

No swallows around this area with about a week now.

I remember sitting in my car on a break from work one evening a couple of years ago watching the swallows on a beautiful Autumn evening and this song came on the radio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4IHPbG-AFo

Birdnuts · 25-09-2014 12:52am

Just a few Swallows left here too. House and Sand Martins seem to be gone already. Still a good passage of Wheaters and Ringed plovers

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 25-09-2014 8:21am

Swallows are still here today, north east coast.

Woodville56 · 25-09-2014 10:49am

Seen a party of swallows feeding over north midland lake here last evening at dusk, probably roosting in local reedbeds but didn't actually see them drop into the reeds , at least 150+ birds , quite noisy - possibly migrating birds as the "local" swallows around the farmyard here have been absent about a week now?

Birdnuts · 25-09-2014 1:34pm

Woodville56 wrote: »

, quite noisy - possibly migrating birds as the "local" swallows around the farmyard here have been absent about a week now?

Yeah - the Wheaters I'm seeing at the moment look like the "Greenland" type.

Irishgoatman · 28-09-2014 8:57am

When I was living in Shropshire, England back in the 80's the swallows always arrived within a few days of the 18th April and depart towards the end of September and the same dates apply here in Mayo. My question is has anyone actually seen them migrating?.
It's great watching them swooping around but it's very annoying that they have now disappeared without warning, as usual.

Here's a pic that I took about 10 days ago, not a brilliant pic because I had to take it through the window so as not to send them flying and it was a very overcast early morning.

Irishgoatman · 28-09-2014 9:05am

Pic didn't attach. Trying again.

Woodville56 · 03-10-2014 2:06pm

Still a small trickle of swallows passing through North Midlands these days !

Irishgoatman · 03-10-2014 2:33pm

Al migratory birds seem to have left south Mayo. Just back to the usual crow family members, Wagtails and Robins where I am.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 03-10-2014 2:39pm

I wasn't out due to the rain today but there are still many Swallows and House Martins here in the North East as of yesterday evening.

Mongarra · 03-10-2014 3:43pm

I haven't seen any swallows for, maybe, a week in my part of the South-east.

DellyBelly · 03-10-2014 4:54pm

Won't be long before we'll be seeing the winter thrushes - Redwings and Fieldfares. I do love the call of the Fieldfares on a crisp winters day when out in the countryside...

mr.wiggle · 05-10-2014 12:21pm

All swallows gone from North Cork since last week. Very quiet around here without them, although the local robins are trying to make up for it in the evenings.

Woodville56 · 09-10-2014 5:40pm

Still a few swallows passing thru here in the north midlands , party of 3 this morning heading SE and this evening a further 11 flying in SW direction ! No Redwing or Fieldfare yet though.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 09-10-2014 6:19pm

I meant to post yesterday to say the swallows must be gone, as I had gone 2 days without any here in the north east. But there were 25+ over the bog all day today.

OpenYourEyes · 09-10-2014 8:18pm

At the other end of the migration spectrum, I had a fantastic view of a flock over around 3000 Golden Plover coming into roost on a lake this evening - with movements like a Starling Murmuration. Very impressive sight.

A few more Whoopers and Redwings starting to be recorded in Ireland, I'd say there'll be a lot of birds coming in over the next two weeks!

Woodville56 · 10-10-2014 3:06pm

First Whoopers of the season on the local lake this morning, flock of 10 noisy adult birds !

Arequipa · 10-10-2014 5:13pm

Hey! I was just out on my bike in North Dublin; saw groups of Brent Geese on the Dollymount/Bull Island mudflats...
Then at the top of Howth &"@ the Summit carpark i saw 7-8 swallows and or martins feeding over the gorse & cliffpaths..
I was happy to see these beautiful birds before they head south...

Bsal · 11-10-2014 7:10pm

Around 18:00 today a small group of swallows I counted 15 flew overhead the house feeding making there way South from Swords.

serfspup · 11-10-2014 7:41pm

swallows all but gone here saw 4 on friday afternoon following the moy estuary

Woodville56 · 14-10-2014 3:10pm

Spotted first Goldeneye flock of the winter on local lake today !

Desmo · 14-10-2014 4:41pm

>hundred house martins and some swallows on Cape Clear on Saturday.

OpenYourEyes · 15-10-2014 12:49am

Just walking the dog around midnight and I could hear the faint 'seep seep' calls of Redwing overhead!

Woodville56 · 16-10-2014 5:50pm

A few swallows still passing thru - 2 spotted today flying SE direction

trebor28 · 16-10-2014 11:13pm

heard the red wings calling overhead the last few nights

serfspup · 16-10-2014 11:57pm

whoopers heading towards foxford this morning

Zoo4m8 · 19-10-2014 10:42am

Walking the fields this morning four young swallows appeared chasing flies disturbed by the sheep and disappeared just as quickly... 'Mine' have gone over two weeks now..

Birdnuts · 19-10-2014 12:25pm

Zoo4m8 wrote: »

Walking the fields this morning four young swallows appeared chasing flies disturbed by the sheep and disappeared just as quickly... 'Mine' have gone over two weeks now..

Yeah - seems to be a good few still knocking around with all this mild weather. In contrast been hearing Redwing in recent nights and saw my first small flock yesterday

FirstinLastout · 23-10-2014 6:42am

Well our swallows are long gone here in West Sligo but I noticed last Monday that the geese have landed back:)

serfspup · 23-10-2014 7:36pm

a pair of whoopers over moy estuary this morning

frogloch · 28-10-2014 4:04pm

Geese flying over blackstairs mountains here heading for the sloblands. About 60 of them and you would hear them miles away chattering away to each other.

Mongarra · 28-10-2014 4:36pm

Looking forward to seeing them soon. I live only a few km from North Slob and love visiting there over the winter to see the huge flocks of Canadian White-fronted geese.

Bsal · 29-10-2014 7:12pm

On my lunch today I saw a lone swallow at the ALSAA sports complex beside Dublin airport.

Woodville56 · 31-10-2014 4:33pm

And there was I sitting in the car this afternoon waiting for a lull in the downpour, watching some chaffinches forage among leaf litter and what pops up but 2 bramblings, males I think, very fresh plumages ! Lovely to see these beautiful finches up close, and a year tick for local patch ! Seems ( from Irishbirding)to have a fairly widespread distribution this autumn - will they hang aground if food source plentiful or just stopping off on southern migration ? Plenty of beech trees/ food source in the area so hope they stay a while for a better look when the rain clears.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 31-10-2014 5:17pm

It could go either way. They settle throughout the country so these may stay put.

gosplan · 06-11-2014 11:33am

Not an avid watcher but an appreciator. Just looking out window, in D5. When windy planes' take off flight path goes over the house... watching plane go over just now and I saw huge flocks off birds flying in formation... hundreds of them so high up they looked almost above the plane... Brent Geese arriving? From a distance they looked to be flying in that type of V formation (falling in and out of it) but were so high and there were so many I wasn't sure, plus shouldn't they have been coming down near the north bay? Or were they the Wexford lot flying south? Nice to see such a force of nature whatever they were.

OpenYourEyes · 06-11-2014 7:29pm

To the best of my knowledge there was no big arrival of GWFGeese in Wexford today (some did arrive yesterday,), so they might have been Brent alright!

bdo · 12-11-2014 12:49am

Lots of redwings on the move tonight over Bray. Fieldfares numbers really up in UK over last few days. Feels like a big move ahead of some winter weather in Scandinavia.

Woodville56 · 12-11-2014 1:15am

Appears like a large influx of Woodpigeon to local woodland areas in past week, flock of (est) 500-600 birds passing between lakeside woodlands at the weekend, bound to be some migrants among 'em. Later disturbed several large flocks foraging on deciduous woodland floor.

Is it migration time?

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