Re: Nature Notes.

I was going by the clustets of small flowers Mups.
No matter, t'is pretty.

Re: Nature Notes.

You're probably right Tess, you are very good at identifying flowers.

Re: Nature Notes.

No not Laurel, i will keep an eye on the leaves as they grow and try and get a pic.

Re: Nature Notes.

By and large our swift,s will be starting their journey back to their Winter quarters.



The swift is a medium-sized aerial bird, which is a superb flier. It evens sleeps on the wing! It is plain sooty brown, but in flight against the sky it appears black. It has long, scythe-like wings and a short, forked tail. It is a summer visitor, breeding across the UK, but most numerously in the south and east. It winters in Africa. REF RSPB.

Re: Nature Notes.

Nom can you help me here? There is the swift with it's brown feathers, swallows with their black & white ones and long tails, but I have seen other black and white birds with much smaller tails. I have seen most of them in Europe, but have also seen them in the South of England. They are about the same size as a swallow and I just hope you can tell me what they are called?

Re: Nature Notes.

Only other two hirundine s we get apart from vagrants are Sand martin and House martin, so my guess would be House Martin which fits the colours you suggest.

Re: Nature Notes.

Thanks Nom, That is exactly what they look like. I remember seeing hundreds of them in Yugoslavia, many years ago.

Re: Nature Notes.

Some great pictures everyone thanks and some things I have never seen like the Ruby -tailed wasp .

Re: Nature Notes.

A weed.......

Re: Nature Notes.

Quite possible in Yugoslavia you may have seen both.

Crag Martin.





Or Alpine swift.