First Swifts

[big bill]

Seen my first Swifts today whilst in the garden there were 5 flitting about to fast to get a pic though never seen them before around thjis neck of the woods or maybe just not looked

[RobSutton]

They can turn up in odd places - I recently (last week) saw one on North Uist in the Outer Hebrides where they are pretty unusual. They can move huge distances in front of bad weather systems, birds with young in the nest can end up traveling hundreds of miles from their home areas in front of thundery depressions. Whilst they are away the nestlings can enter a form of torpor and survive days without being fed.

[cherrybee]

I haven't seen any myself but James Chubb the East Devon Education Ranger writes a column in our local paper The Exmouth Journal and he reports he has seen them in Exeter and at the council offices in Knowle Sidmouth,where they roost every year