Swallow

Hirundo rustica

One Swallow may not make a summer, but it’s quite enough to brighten a cold day in April.

It’s often the twittering sounds of its song that are our first sign, followed by a desperate search of the sky.

They can be difficult to pick up as they fly, but once we do we will see their long streaming tail feathers and the contrast between the pale underside and their dark blue upperparts. If we see them settled, we’re more likely to notice the red throat too.

Swallows are very vocal and they chatter away in flight and also when perched, typically on a  telegraph wire or the high branch of a tree.

It’s a buoyant sound, gurgling and gossipy interspersed with a slower two-tone sound.

To my ear this sounds a little bit like ‘worzel’, which might help remind you that Swallows are more countryside than their cousin the House Martin.