Swallows are now on the move across Britain, and most of them will finish their journey in South Africa. They travel by day, finding plenty of flying insects to feed on, and taking their time before they reach the south coast. They often linger over lakes where insects are abundant, and their blue backs can be seen skimming over the water. They roost in flocks in the security of reed beds. They can also be seen flying down the east coast at the moment, but many of these birds have come from countries further north. Other swallows in Britain are still nesting on the rafters in barns and neglected garages, with young birds or even eggs in the nest. Some of these birds and their young will not leave until October. There has been an early breath of winter in the arrival of several single fieldfares, and one or two small flocks of them, in east Yorkshire. These handsome thrushes with their loud “chack-chack” calls will sweep across the country in enormous numbers in October, fleeing from the cold in northern Europe, and by midwinter there will be 700,000 of them feeding in the fields.