Will late Swallows make it to Africa?

Red-rumped Swallow (Richard Evans)

A few weeks ago, I watched thousands of Swallows feeding over the forests in uMkhuze nature reserve in South Africa. It was fantastic to watch several species mix together: Wire-tailed Swallows with ridiculously long tail-streamers, Greater and Lesser Striped Swallows that migrate from central Africa to breed in the southern summer and ‘our’ Swallows from Europe, that were by far the most numerous. Ringing shows that these were very likely to be Swallows that had bred in Britain & Ireland, since Swallows from elsewhere in Europe winter closer to the Equator.  Do check out the map on the excellent Eurasian African Bird Migration Atlas to see Swallow movements across Europe.

There have been more than a dozen December records of Swallow in North Wales this century, but nonetheless one past Rhos Point was a surprise for birders watching Purple Sandpipers on Saturday. Even more unexpected was a Red-rumped Swallow at Aber Ogwen, near Bangor, at the weekend and reported in Beaumaris on Monday. This Mediterranean breeder should be south of the Sahara now. Only three dozen have occurred in Wales and this one was more than a month later than the previous latest in any year. You must wonder about the survival chances of both these birds, although one did overwinter on Anglesey in 2022.

A Snow Bunting remains on the Great Orme’s western cliffs, three more were in Gronant Dunes and one in Rhos on Sea on Sunday. Slavonian Grebes were in the Menai Strait and Beddmanarch Bay, half a dozen Hawfinches are back to winter in riverside trees at Llanrwst and three Scaup were on flooded fields at RSPB Cors Ddyga, where a flock of White-fronted Geese were seen last week. The herd of Whooper Swans in the Glaslyn Valley increased to 48 last week.

RSPB Cymru and North Wales Wildlife Trust have thanked supporters of a Senedd petition asking for ‘Swift bricks’ to be mandatory in all new built developments. It passed 10,000 signatories last week and this is the last chance to sign before it closes on Thursday.