Knock me down with a feather

Well after a 140 mile round trip to the coast last week, I thought that would be it for another year to see those sweet little Sand Martins I saw for the first time near Bridlington. 

You could have knocked me down with a feather when I took some photos of the House Martins flying over the fields and my garden this week. There they were - in amongst the chittering Swallows, occasional Swift and House Martins swooping and diving. Sand Martins! 

Hirundines against a blue sky with clouds

Or...were they?

Hirundines flying against a cloudy sky

Looking more closely their markings looked different to the Sand Martins I'd seen the previous week, so I asked some experts. What threw me was how light their chest markings were, the ones I'd seen at the coast were really dark and pronounced.

So it turns out, the one below is a jeuvenile House Martin.

Hirundine flying against a blue sky
and this one IS a Sand Martin! Even though they look completely different to the ones I saw last week!
Flying Sand Martin
This birding game isn't easy, but it is a lot of fun, and at the end of the day I love them all.
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