Headed to Covenham yesterday hoping to see Arctic Tern, which was a huge success. We got there around 11am and were soon into birds as we started to walk around the reservoir. Common sandpipers, yellow wagtails, a white wagtail and a huge number of sand martins and swallows overhead. We could see arctic terns flying in the middle of the reservoir. The great northern diver was still there and gave us good views. We were only half round the first stretch and Simon shouted SWIFT.....a new bird for the year and one that we had been hoping to see today. Then there was another.....and another. We looked up and the sky was literally covered in a huge ball of swifts. One of life's moments that we will always remember.....a massive fall of swifts that we estimated at 1000. For 15 minutes they never stopped coming and then they were gone as quick as they arrived. All these birds and there was just us two there.
