Swallows, swifts and housemartins

I'm still a bit shaky about distinguishing one from the other. Are there any keen birdwatchers out there who can help?

I think the swifts are the ones you see circling high in the sky making that impressive screaming noise. We have quite a lot of those wheeling about at the moment. But I believe we also have house martins. I have checked out the RSPB site and listened to their call - but it doesn't sound quite like what I am hearing - maybe birds from different areas have different accents! Ours make a short, utterly tuneless, almost 'ribbett' like noise ... oh dear, that makes them sound like frogs, but perhaps you know what I mean. How else might I distinguish them in flight? Because they fly so high, often all you see is a black outline.

We don't seem to get swallows here, but I think I'm right in saying that they're the ones with the impressive forked tails which you see swooping low and sitting on telephone wires chattering away.

Any help gratefully received.

 

Thanks, Woo. We had a whole load of swifts circling high overhead this morning making a terrific racket.

 

Swallows and House Martins look alike on the wing. The real differnece is that Swallows have a long forked tail whereas the Martin's tail is stubbier. Swifts, as you say, go screaming through the sky, usually high up, often above a church tower, and the don't have much of a tail at all!:lollol:

Chris

 

Thank you Chris.

 

Good pics there from Woo, ClaraLou.
Yes, the Swifts are the ones that make the screaming noises. They are the last to arrive every year and the first to go.
The Swallows sit on the telephone wires and make their little twittering noises. I've seen them sitting on the wires feeding their chicks.
The House Martins build their nests on houses, up under the eaves or the gable end points. They like mud for their nests so if you have enough space if you leave a little mud pile for them at nesting time you might be lucky enough to see them on the ground.
We also have Sand Martins here. They are brown and white and they burrow little holes for nests along the sandy banks of the river.
They are all great insect eaters, catching them on the wing.
If the swifts are flying high it's because the bugs are up there and not down beside you. Always a good sign.

 

Thank you, Alice. Yes, I've only just begun to notice swifts in the sky - it seems very late, considering they are first out again. All that effort!

 

They sleep and mate on the wing, a newly fledged Swift will not land for at least a year that includes the (non BA) flight to sub Sahara and back! They also mate and sleep on the wing.
The only bird that can catch them is the Hobby.
An incredible bird, a great shame they are declinig rapidly in the UK.:(