Whilst cycling along Drake’s Trail a couple of weekends ago, I decided to take a quick break at the viaduct at Bickleigh. Whilst I was having a drink and a snack, I heard lots of bird noises coming from beside the viaduct so I had a look over the edge and saw lots of birds with long wings bombing around. I new instantly that these were Swifts as they were a different colouring to Swallows with a shorter tail and larger wings.
There were at least 10 of them flying about under the viaduct and over it, and sometimes not very far from my head! I had never seen a Swift properly before so I spent a good ten minutes watching them play in the early morning sunshine.
Here is the viaduct at Bickleigh where you should be able to see the many Swift that must nest very close by.
These birds are medium sized and a browny colour, even though they look black when they are flying through the air. Swifts have a short forked tail and are often seen in flocks. They sleep on the wing and are visitors to the UK during the Summer months. They are seen speeding around rooftops and houses, especially in the early hours of the morning or at dusk, catching flying insects or spiders. Their latin name is Apus Apus and they have a distinctive screaming call that makes them sound very excited! They are a joy to watch!
Here is an image of a Swift from the RSPB website.
