[Penninehillbilly]

Out of the  nest on Tues/Wednesday, outside flying today, interesting, first lot were fed inside for almost a week, this lot are being encouraged out sooner. Not sure theyve got the landing gear quite organised yet. Thought there were 4, now maybe 5, so we've got 9 or 10 away this year.OK, not many up to some, but I'm happy 
They are whizzing across the front of the house, keep getting shadow flashing past.

[Rupert the bear]

Picture taken with mobile this year.

[devonlady]

Lovely (and the swallows are pretty too!)
  A thing I long to do before I die is to actually see them set off on their long journey. I watch them gathering, then fly off and think "this is it", then, 10 minutes later they are back on 'phone wires. This goes on for a few days and the day I'm absorbed in something else, or have to go somewhere else off they go!!

[Marches Farmer]

"Ours" also had a late brood, much to my surprise.  I was just thinking about moving some of the turkeys into the old stable for the Winter and then I saw a row of gaping beaks along the top of one of the nests.

[Victorian Farmer]

By the 22nd we will be in full autumn ,the highlands have seen a change .I do think by October the first cold spell .

[Penninehillbilly]

Ours must have left 2 or 3 days ago, suddenly realised they werent there, my poor babies, I hope they are strong enough for the journey, 2nd brood have hardly had time to learn anything. Im sure I once read they head south and stop for a while before the next leg, I hope so, only about a week out of the nest :-(. we had about 20 flying round, I think there must have been some in the field shelter as well.
Interesting there was a bird sleeping tucked into the polytunnel door, where the diagonal meets the top corner (polythene fell off so windbreak tacked to the inside of frame). this is the third night its been missing, I wonder if it was a swallow? didnt like to shine torch on it and disturb it in the dark.
so sad they've gone.

[devonlady]

They'll be back next year PHB, something to look forward to during a long, cold winter! And, they will usually be the same ones you've just said goodbye to!

[Louise Gaunt]

What is it that triggers their migration? Day length, temperature, date? I think ours might have gone overnight/ early this morning. There were about two dozen of them on the roof yesterday, but no sign today.

[Buttermilk]

The wires were still full of them 10 minutes ago here.

[Penninehillbilly]

They were back in the barn today!

[oor wullie]

Ours (a mixed flock of swallows and house martins (perhaps also a few sand martins) who have spent the last few weeks perched on the house roof) left sometime on Saturday.

Everything seems much quieter and less lively without them!

[Penninehillbilly]

Back in barn tonight, only 6 I think, parents and last brood?
I wonder if they go on a practise run, the older ones carry on, parents bring babies back to grow on, waved their elder siblings off? 
Because there been brought back by their parents that how they know to come back next year?  But if that is so, why do we still only get 1 pair every year?

[Fleecewife]

Our last lot have just left the nest.  Only a week or so before the adults leave.  One year a late hatching brood like this was left behind - they stayed for a few weeks then joined up with other late hatched swallows from the area and set off south together.
We never get as many back as flew away - it's a highly dangerous and risky journey they make, so most don't get through.  I find it amazing that so many do return.

[DODx]

The swallows always pick my horses stable to nest, probably on account of his laid back nature so he would never bother them. The bird poop all over him and the occasional dive bomb is a bit of an inconvenience though 

[Fleecewife]

We usually get several nests in the barn where we store our motorbikes.  Same problem with the guano