A swift decline

[XFool]

Very recently, in the clear blue skies, I noticed this myself. (And came to the same conclusion)

The vanishing swifts from the sky above my shed are a sad omen

The Guardian

The birds flew in on cue, but there were so few of them. The reason? The catastrophic decline in our insect populations

"On 7 May, I tweeted that swifts had appeared in the skies over the shed where I write on the same day in 2022, and predicted, if they kept to their schedule, they would leave overnight on 7 August. My excitement was short-lived. I’ve seen no more than three or four breeding pairs over the village of Blockley, Gloucestershire, whereas last year I estimated 16 to 20 pairs and an end of season exodus of between 50 and 60 birds.

My figures are hardly scientific, but they suggest a decline of between 75% and 85% on last year, an acceleration in an established trend that shows a loss of 60% of swift numbers since 1995."

[Cornytiv34]

In Devon a few of the swifts and swallows have appeared in the last week, over a month late. I did wonder if it was because the almost continuous strong north or north easterly winds we have been having. Flying against the cold wind must make things more difficult. Maybe they have been forced to find alternative places to nest for this season. If they nest late it does not bode well for the youngsters on the return south.
Maybe a birdwatcher can tell us if this has happened before.
Mike

[88V8]

The birds flew in on cue, but there were so few of them. The reason? The catastrophic decline in our insect populations

Yesterday we went out in the Rambler, which I had just washed.
Half a mile and splat! an insect on the screen.
At one time that would have been routine, now it drew a comment from my wife.

In The Lakes two weeks ago we collected a fair few insects, but up there they have no intensive agriculture, and after a week we had collected just a fraction of the insect blobs I remember from the 60s when we washed my father's car on a Sunday morning.

Those who follow the welfare of birds may like to sign up for the monthly newsletter from Vine House Farm where they grow a lot of bird food. His commentary is an interesting blend of farming and wildlife. We buy our seed and peanuts there, next-day delivery.

V8

[XFool]

The birds flew in on cue, but there were so few of them. The reason? The catastrophic decline in our insect populations

Yesterday we went out in the Rambler, which I had just washed.
Half a mile and splat! an insect on the screen.
At one time that would have been routine, now it drew a comment from my wife.

Indeed. As a car driver in the 1970s it was a feature of life that any substantial drive in a clean car would see the entire front of the car, including headlights and windscreen, plastered with dead insects at journey's end. This has been much commented on. I assume it cannot be entirely explained by improved aerodynamics.

[88V8]

Yesterday we went out in the Rambler, which I had just washed.
Half a mile and splat! an insect on the screen.
At one time that would have been routine, now it drew a comment from my wife.

Indeed. As a car driver in the 1970s it was a feature of life that any substantial drive in a clean car would see the entire front of the car, including headlights and windscreen, plastered with dead insects at journey's end. This has been much commented on. I assume it cannot be entirely explained by improved aerodynamics.

No.
And certainly not the improved aerodynamics of my 1963 car

V8

[bungeejumper]

Pretty much the same here in Wiltshire. I saw one solitary swift/swallow (not sure) in earlyish April, then four the other day, but those are nothing like the usual numbers. Yes, there are fewer insects around, but I tend to agree with the poster who noted that this year's constant north/easterly wind must have been very difficult for migrating birds. If I were a swallow I'd have stayed in mid-France to raise my kids.

Which would be doubly sad, because presumably the old migrate-to-Scotland instinct will only last for a few generations before it's replaced by a new and less ambitious one? It would be interesting to find out how the migrations are going in other parts of northern Europe. Is Germany getting the usual storks this year?

[Edit]: Plenty of bats in our garden, though. Those feed on low-flying moths, which I suppose are different to what the swallows/swifts require?

BJ

[88V8]

[Edit]: Plenty of bats in our garden, though. Those feed on low-flying moths...

Can they be trained to eat clothes moths?

V8

[bungeejumper]

It would be interesting to find out how the migrations are going in other parts of northern Europe. Is Germany getting the usual storks this year?

Apologies for answering my own query. Apparently they're having something of a record year for storks and cranes in Germany. But the storks are heading in from Poland and the east, rather than from the south.

I'm looking for European reports on swifts and swallows, but I'm just getting the usual reports that numbers have dropped by 40-50% over the last two decades because of the declining insect population. I suppose that must be it, then?

Confusingly, people have also been noting that swallows etc in the UK are starting to overwinter in barns because the milder winters are making it easier to stick around than to fly south. That seems oddly counter-intuitive in this particular year!

BJ