Swifts really, their shape is just perfect, and their screaming is just the epitome of summer for me, along with skylarks. Having said that, watching swallows hawking for insects at ground level is stunning; I walked from Avebury to Silbury Hill this afternoon, alongside the Kennet, and there were dozens of swifts, swallows and house martins flying just above a field of rape seed. Never seen anything like it before, and it’s disconcerting to be walking along a path with a swallow hurtling towards you at head headheight or lower. There were two swallows flying around West Kennet Longbarrow, and at times they were less than five feet from where I was sat above the entrance. They’re actually nesting just inside the entrance. As said, they’re really beautiful birds close up.
