Hardly any swallows and house martins this year ?

[Flick of the Elbow]

Seen hardly any. Seeing more swifts than anything, their numbers seem to be similar to normal but not so their fellow hirundines. Is this UK wide or just here in Embra ?

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Seen loads near us in Dumfries and Galloway, though just moved home so impossible to say if the numbers are typical or have reduced from previous years.

 

[oxoman]

Seen a few when ive been out and about, but haven't seen any this year local to me. Used to enjoy watching them in the evenings with a beer in hand.

 

[Ripple]

Seen and heard loads of them in Ashford and Canterbury (Kent).

 

[Mo1959]

Seems about the same as usual here. I always thought Edinburgh was a cold city. Maybe they’ve decided the same.

 

[biggs682]

Have see them around here but they are too fast for my ol' eyes to count them

 

[SpokeyDokey]

SE Lakes - usual amount diving and wheeling noisily.

 

[PeteXXX]

Quite a few flying around the next (newish) estate up the road.
Nesting under the eaves but no nesting bricks inserted during the building, sadly .. 🤷‍♂️

 

[SuperGalactian]

Very few house martins down here in southern Wiltshire, and a very poor breeding performance for those who did make it. We have 6 artificial nest cups, normally all used, but only one used this year.

 

[Gillstay]

Getting less and less here as poor breeding and lack of sites as people cannot stand to have a bit of bird shoot on their cars.
Then droughts are getting tougher in Africa , migration harder often due to people displacement. very sad.
Put platforms up in next doors stable for them, but its just getting too hot in there.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

There used to be multitudes of swifts in my part of north London but over the last ten years numbers have crashed. Now one can see flights of just half a dozen or so on most days, but not all day. My impression is that the energy crisis and the drive to improve insulation has led the owners of blocks of flats to improve insulation which often leads to blocking any roof-level entry and exit points which is where the swifts love to nest.
Swift nesting boxes exist:

Ciick here for details, thoroughly recommended for anyone with a north-facing wall who would like to favour one of our symbols of summer.

 

[matticus]

There used to be multitudes of swifts in my part of north London but over the last ten years numbers have crashed. Now one can see flights of just half a dozen or so on most days, but not all day. My impression is that the energy crisis and the drive to improve insulation has led the owners of blocks of flats to improve insulation which often leads to blocking any roof-level entry and exit points which is where the swifts love to nest.
Swift nesting boxes exist:
View attachment 815250
Ciick here for details, thoroughly recommended for anyone with a north-facing wall who would like to favour one of our symbols of summer.

There was a campaign to get them in all new houses - not yet successful: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/swifts-back-in-the-houses-of-power-but-still-no-action

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I must be blind, I don't recall seeing any while living in Southampton for ~35 years, but google reckons they are here!