Cornwall
Photo Gallery

Three Swallows so it's Summer

One swallow doesn't make a summer but here we have three of these fast, agile fliers so it must be summer. Thousands of these beautiful birds can be seen in Cornwall throughout the summer months, diving and swooping as they hunt for insects.

Swallows arrive in the UK in April and May, returning to their wintering grounds in September and October.

British swallows migrate to South Africa for the winter, travelling through western France, across the Pyrenees, through eastern Spain into Morocco, and across the Sahara. In South Africa they feed in small flocks, which join together to form roosting flocks of thousands of birds.

They fly by day at low altitudes, finding food along the way, covering around 200 miles a day at speeds of 17-22 miles per hour. Their maximum flight speed is 35 mph.