Barn swallow by Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
Wild about swifts, swallows and martins
Keep your eyes on the skies in late March to spot the first of our high-flying long-haul flight arrivals in Worcestershire. Swallows and sand martins arrive first, followed by house martins in early April and swifts towards the end of the month.
These four species can be tricky to tell apart as they skim through the air. With a little practice, however, you'll soon separate your swifts from your swallows and, shortly afterwards, you might be able to separate your swallows from your martins!
Numbers of all four of these amazing birds are declining so they need our help. They all like to cosy up in different kinds of places to raise their families but one thing they all need is to eat plenty of insects. Whether you can plant an insect-friendly garden to provide them with food or have the space to erect a nest box in the right location, take a look below to discover more about these incredible birds and how you might be able to give them a helping hand.
Why not download your free wild about high-fliers booklet. It's packed full of information to help you identify which bird is which, which bird gets up to what and how you can help them where you live.
Discover more about our feathered neighbours, the house martins, in this short video...
Swallow, swift, sand martin and house martin by Katy Frost
Learn more about identifying swifts, swallows and martins in our saving-high-fliers seasonal blog as well as discover more about life on the wing with a short video about swifts.
Continue scrolling for sound clips to help you identify each species in flight.
