# British or Irish dopers: have you seen many swifts, swallows or martins this summer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2019, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106 "2019-08-03T09:41:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/1 "2019-08-03T09:41:44Z")
I don’t think I’ve seen many swifts or swallows this summer, or any house martins or sand martins. Normally I notice big flocks of swifts screaming overhead in the evenings, house martin nests under house eaves, and swallows flitting around everywhere. It might be because I’m in a different location, but there are no obvious reasons why there would be fewer here. Have you seen as many as you’d normally expect? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/2 "2019-08-03T10:07:20Z")
Now you mention it, no. I haven’t been counting them up til this point, but I have a feeling I will be from now on. [This](https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/population-trends/) - which should be authoritative - notes that populations fluctuate. As an allotmenteer, I have noticed that the weather this year has been very different from, say, last. Hot spells, but on the whole a coolish summer. j ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/3 "2019-08-03T12:26:39Z")
Down here in Devon I’ve seen loads, actually, maybe even more than I normally would. Perhaps they aren’t going as far north as usual? ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/4 "2019-08-03T16:22:41Z")
I’m in Birmingham, English West Midlands – not a dedicated and diligent birder, but for what my observations might be worth: home in Birmingham, have been not much aware of presence of hirundines this summer – but have not been looking with great diligence. I know swifts often like cities and their buildings – for all I know, Birmingham might have had plenty of them this summer. In late May, I spent a week in the Isle of Wight – plenty of swallows in evidence then and there. The IOW is a fairly behind-the-times and idyllic place: generally good for wildlife. ---
**Author:** ![Fundisi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Fundisi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fundisi)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/5 "2019-08-06T12:51:06Z")
South England here - a fair number of swifts and swallows in our area. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/6 "2019-08-08T17:58:19Z")
I’m giving this a bump because I’d like to see more data. Since I last checked in on this thread, I have not seen a - whatever **Sangahyando** called them. It’s starting to seem quite striking to me. j ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/7 "2019-08-08T18:09:47Z")
What do you mean, [African or European swallows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7iXw9zZrLo&t=3m3s)? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-or-irish-dopers-have-you-seen-many-swifts-swallows-or-martins-this-summer/838106/8 "2019-08-08T18:35:53Z")
I’m still seeing very few. I was out for a run in the countryside today, didn’t see any. I went through a large farm complex where you’d normally expect to see a lot of swallows and house martins. The nesting season must be coming to an end but I don’t think they usually start their migrations so soon. I have a vague recollection of being surprised to see some swallows or martins as early as March or something this year. I’ll need to keep better records next year.