Swifts At Sea.

[Togo]

Out on the West Shore of LLandudno, with the River Conwy estuary in front of us, this afternoon. Beautiful sunny afternoon and having a walk before going to have a bite to eat. About half a dozen fast fliers swirling and swooping, including dipping into the water, caught our eye about 50 yards offshore. "She who must be obeyed" said they look like Swifts. They were indeed. I had read about the recent sightings of an uncommon bird visiting in numbers and a quick look through the "bins" confirmed that they were indeed Alpine Swifts. Lovely to see ... with all the action and movement of our usual Swifts but slowed down somewhat. They are much bigger being about 8ins long with a wingspan of just under 2ft. The sickle wing shape is unmistakeable but the tail is much wider and cropped. Made our day.

[Togo]

https://www.birdguides.com/news/major-alpine-swift-influx-hits-britain-and-ireland/

[bednobs]

are they the ones that never land?

[Togo]

They only "land" to nest it is said Bednobs, and have been recorded spending 6 months on the wing. Incubation duties are shared so they all get a bit of rest. Tremendous things to see. We are used to the seabird species down there and watch the Jackdaws work the outgoing tide in the Winter(from the comfort of the car mostly), but today these birds were so different to see with their airborne evolutions and obvious, usually poolside, water dip antics. The steep cliffs of the Great Orme are only a few hundred yards away and I hope that they decide to nest here.

[Tilly2]

How lovely! Are they the ones that you see in their hundreds in Dubrovnik?

[Togo]

I think so Tills. Common Swifts also inhabit the Adriatic area but the Alpines are the larger species.

[Togo]

https://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/alpine-swifts-in-the-uk-and-ireland.html#:~:text=Sightings%20have%20been%20reported%20since%20mid-March%20this%20year,Mayo%2C%20Norfolk%2C%20Northumberland%2C%20Pembrokeshire%2C%20Somerset%2C%20Waterford%2C%20Wicklow%2C%20Yorkshire.

[Tilly2]

2ft wingspan is huge! I do hope that they can find enough nesting sites.

[Togo]

As I said Tills ... The Great Orme is only a few hundred yards away from that location. The Gulls and Guillemots find plenty of " wing space" to accommodate their needs. It was very confusing to see them initially, as their movement was so different to what is the usual sight of wonder. Made up. :))

[rowanwitch]

Wow, wish I'd been there