EarlyBird Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 Swallows the first of the year ? ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 This morning it is someone in a light aircraft practising engine drills and flying around in triangular patterns over about a five mile radius, who has been at it all morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J D 8 Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Swift's in numbers I have not seen for some time heading north[ possibly across Irish sea ] but feeding up on the way. Watched them for a while, the Swifts crescent wing is iconic but as they manoeuvre it can instantly change shape with a straighter leading edge and feathers deployed for a wider chord with more area. We still have some way to go. A true creature of the sky. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Over the last few weeks I've been watching the activity by the RAF's Rivet Joint & USAF equivalents over the Black Sea and USAF Global Hawks flying at 53000ft over Ukraine very close to the Russian border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 An Osprey (not the bird!) flew over a couple of days ago - that's just a weird looking thing. Nice to see the swifts and swallow at the flying field, they zoom along making 90 degree turns just a few inches above the grass. A little mesmeric and a huge contrast to the buzzards which soar around, completely unperturbed by our planes...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Until about five years ago we lived in Lincolnshire. We lived near a WW2 airfield, end of our field. It seems that when spitfires attened various shows up in our area they would do a fly by across the airfield for some reason.hair on the back of your neck wow!!!!. We also had fighter jets at very high altitude, presumeably training, doing fighting manouvers. Hardly heard a thing, just the sight. There were also Chinnocks, on more than one occasion they would come down really low, could see the crew, they would fly along side the road and just sit there. On one occasion we had one each sde of us, deafening, the air vibrates, just flew alongside us for some time,really something. Lincolnshire is very flat, and sparsely populated, some straight roads, so that was no problem. I also remember when I was knee high we would have an airshow of sorts at our local airfield RAF Horchurch!!!!. I remember walking down from the railway station with my father and his brother(Lancaster navigator) I heard the sound of a jet, then it went black as a Vulcan bomber flew that low it felt like you could touch it. Could not land of course. Never forget that,was a bit loud if I remember. its mass blacked out the sky for a moment. Did my ATC glider training there when I was 16 yrs old.Covered in houses now What a pity. Bas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Muir Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Big exercise going on in Scotland just now. We've had V-22 Ospreys and CH-53 Sea Stallions clattering about the last few days. Two Ospreys just passed over a few minutes ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Had a Typhoon howling about at high level for a good few hours at lunchtime. Never tire of seeing them ....... once managed to get a view of my FMS Tiffie with 2 of the noisy jet Typhoons in the background. If I'd had more hands (I only have 2!) it'd have been a nice picture ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john davidson 1 Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 On 10/05/2021 at 14:05, J D 8 said: Swift's in numbers I have not seen for some time heading north[ possibly across Irish sea ] but feeding up on the way. Watched them for a while, the Swifts crescent wing is iconic but as they manoeuvre it can instantly change shape with a straighter leading edge and feathers deployed for a wider chord with more area. We still have some way to go. A true creature of the sky. I had a book from the library before lockdown regarding study into swift behavior. In periods of bad weather the young in the nest go into torpor state with reduced body temperature and can survive for up to two weeks with no or little food. One young was tagged and after leaving the nest was recorded in Spain just two days later! Another factoid from the book- swifts have been timed on the flat at 90mph which makes them if not the fastest must be up there. A peregrine cheats by diving so isn't in the same league. A fascinating bird and deserves our help and encouragement 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 The swallows have just arrived this morning. The air is full of them - as my wife just said "Swarms of the sods" - 10 BoB quote points for that. ?. Last year was very dry and since there was no mud in the surrounding fields so they didn't stay long before moving nearer to the river- this year is more normal, so they will be frantically nest building. Love watching their fantastic flying skills, don't love the incessant cheeping of the chicks at dawn, or the mud huts under the eaves and streams of crap down the walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Taylor Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 A lot of activity down here today - two Spitfires flying in loose formation, then playing tag over the sea off Littlehampton this morning. This afternoon first heard the unmistakeable sound of a Harvard flying along the top of the South downs from east to west, then a little later the two Spits returned, flying I guess towards Goodwood, in a tight formation. Then one broke away to land, while I could hear the other circling for a couple of minutes before presumably getting permission to land. I was too slow / too busy looking to grab my camera - I'll leave it somewhere handy so that I can get it next time............. KIm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 A pair of Rafales came overhead at about 200 meters. Came up from the south, and turned on the medieval tower in the village, and went towards the coast. They are very noisy. Lots of storks migrating north, in groups of anything up to 20 birds. Are you seeing house Martin’s in the UK. Basically very few turned up this year. I know they have had two migration weather disasters in the last few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Just had a Transall or Hercules fly past. NOT over the house but about 200 feet up and a hundred yards in front of the house. IT was gone too fast to identify it. (I was sitting in the front room) Back when we first came here(1963 onwards we used to get Beverlys and Hercules very, very low over the house on a regular basis. Now it is a rare sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 @Don Fryyes, we have House Martins now, in the East Riding. Haven't seen any bats yet though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Here in the Vale of York about 10 days ago we saw our first Pipistrelles and about the same time Swallows, followed a few days later by House Martins. Wet and miserable now so very little food for them ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 I live in the deep country side, low intensity beef farming, water meadows, big river. Loads of old barns, delelicts, old houses. Martin’s used to be a collision hazard for model aircraft in summer. No more. Just a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 An Osprey (that weird one!) flew directly over our house and garden yesterday tea-time. It was VERY low - certainly well under the height I used to fly my little e-gliders.... Still no bats but the Swifts and Swallows were extremely active and noisy in the evening sun yesterday. GG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zflyer Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 RAF Airbus 400 from Naples into Birmingham. Odd. Very few swallows, seen more Jays about than previous years and recently heard a cuckoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 DC3 very low and very slow heading north towards the Vale of York. Is there a show on somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 15 minutes ago, EarlyBird said: DC3 very low and very slow heading north towards the Vale of York. Is there a show on somewhere? He's going the wrong way! The Battle of /Britain air show is in Kent ? Vanished off radar now somewhere up near Helmsley. B17 and a Spit are showing down by the Air Show though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 And a Zeppelin over West Thurrock!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 It's Armed Forces Day this weekend. There is usually a big air display at Cleethorpes. I thought it had been cancelled. Which means he is going the wrong way but he could have turned up the Humber. It looked like the one from Duxford or do they all look the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 2 minutes ago, EarlyBird said: It's Armed Forces Day this weekend. There is usually a big air display at Cleethorpes. I thought it had been cancelled. Which means he is going the wrong way but he could have turned up the Humber. It looked like the one from Duxford or do they all look the same? Yes - that one shows as cancelled. It is a BBMF one but I didn't spot it number - will put it up if it comes back on radar. Looks good down south ... 3 x spits, a hurricane, a B17 and a Zepplin all on radar at the same time ... don't see that every day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 5 minutes ago, Mark Stringer said: Zepplin Are they still about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 2 minutes ago, EarlyBird said: Are they still about? DC3 has just taken back off heading South again - ZA947 - towards RAF Linton at the moment. Spitfires are further off now - one near Milton Keynes, one near Conningsby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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