Swallows

[corylus]

The swallows here (West Yorkshire) lined up on the telegraph wires last Sunday morning (6th August)making a hell of a racket and flying around for ages, then they all went, presumably back to Africa.

Isn't this a bit early for their migration, haven't seen any round here since then?

[Chipchopper]

Yes, it seems very early to me.

[ladybirder]

Yes it is early. It's usually September or even early October. Are they trying to tell us something I wonder;-)

[Tilly2]

They know when to go. They don't look at the calendar.

[bunkmoreland]

There was a farmer/gardener on This Morning this week,who predicts the weather by what he notices in nature around him. He remarked that his swallows had left in July, and that is a sign of a hard winter to come. There are also early ripening blackberries etc to help the birds fatten up for his predicted hard winter!

[ladybirder]

Yep, proof if any were needed they know what they are doing and why;-)

[pastafreak]

We're still seeing them here...in Plymouth. I see them in the park most evenings when walking the dog.

[woofgang]

my garden is full of mushrooms/toadstools and the grass has gone that bright autumn green. Some of the local oak trees have started to shed golden leaves, not the dry green ones they shed in a drought, and most tellingly to me, my mimosa is well on in bud. This doesn’t usually happen until september/october.