UK / EUROPE

Swift (Apus apus)

In the UK, the Swift is one of the last migrants to arrive in summer and one of the first to leave, normally in August. They spend virtually all their lives on the wing, even sleeping (in short spells) whilst flying. Their screaming cries and wheeling flight is a common sight in most towns and cities where they seek out breeding sites in building cavities.

Swift - Apus apus


It is unusual to see swifts not in flight. Hundred were flying around the courtyards of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, and were breeding in the recesses of the carved facades.
July 2004

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