*A lone swift hawking for insects above Ribchester on 6 September. Note the Lammergeier tail shape (Mike Watson)*

SEPTEMBER SWIFT is a term I learned from Steve Lister at Spurn in 1982. I think that was the first time I realised that most of them had already left the UK, bound for their winterting grounds in Africa by the end of August. Ever since, I have always been happy to see a swift in September, so imagine my delight when there was one wheeling over the village this morning! Our breeding swifts had all left a couple of weeks ago so I wonder where this one came from? Funny that the first four birds new for the month on my BTO BirdTrack walk today all began with the letter ‘S’ - the swift and then Sparrowhawk, Song Thrush and Siskin. Four nuthatches around the village this morning was also notable. Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were both along the river by the school and the Tree Sparrow flock behind Lower Alston Farm has reached at least 61, with many juveniles. They obviously had a good breeding season. I didn’t walk from Old Park Wood to Lower Barn today owing to the amount of rain we had overnight meaning I would have got drenched cutting along the side of the maize field but instead spent about an hour with the Willow Warbler, which was still in the same riverside vegetation as yesterday and this time I was able to get some nice views of it in the early morning sunshine before the rain set in. There are fewer nicer birds around here than a lemon yellow juvenile Willow Warbler and I am making the most of them before they too have gone south for another year.