LAST year I wrote how my bird of the year was the colourful goldfinch. A flock of up to twenty were constantly in and around my garden and when the young had fledged, the adults brought them onto the feeders.

This summer things are very different and the goldfinches seem to have vanished. The feeders have remained untouched to the extent that the seeds began to sprout in the rain.

I replenished the feeders but so far no takers. Hopefully they will return in the autumn.

So, my bird of this summer has to be the swallow which seems to be increasing everywhere.

I have watched the bluebirds along Kingston riverside where some more nest sites have been built and it is fascinating to see the adults feed their young in mid-air.

I have also watched two colonies nesting in Surrey barns, often in the company of the smaller dumpy house martins, the adults zooming into the open doors to feed youngsters.

Another location was on the Devon coast where, standing on a clifftop, I saw families of swallows hunting over the cliff the suddenly diving down over the cliff to sea level – where once again house martins joined them.

Very soon now we will bid those swallows farewell as they prepare to fly south on their three thousand mile flight to the Cape Town reed beds for winter.

Meanwhile, house martins will stay with us well into October in a good year.