As the weather continued to be reasonable I decided to weed the shrub beds in the back garden as I’d been lazy last year and not bothered. Four hours in and only a couple of Linnet going over I suddenly heard the raucous calls of Black-headed Gulls. As I’d not had one over the garden for a few weeks I looked up and saw twenty birds circling around.
Presumably non breeding birds I thought I’d better check them through the bins just in case the group contained something better like a Mediterranean Gull. I walked up to the patio to get my bins and looked through them but they were all BH Gulls. But while watching them I picked up a bird behind them flying fast and erratically and my initial thought was it was going to be one of the towns Peregrines hunting but it then dawned on me it that I was watching an Alpine Swift!! The characteristic deep powerful wing beats and large white breast patch were clearly noted. I watched it for around a minute as it zoomed about but as it was heading away towards Hemel town centre I then lost it behind my neighbour’s house and frustratingly didn’t pick it up again from the other side.
This was my second self found Alpine Swift for Herts (though the first one wasn’t accepted, not that that bothered me!) and my first in the UK for twenty years after seeing one at Minsmere back in 2003. I’m not sure I’ll beat that as a garden tick but if I do it’ll be some bird!
Four Swallow flew north while trying to see it again but alas that was it.
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