Martin Day

Walking home from the shops this morning, I looked up and discovered that I was under a House Martin flight path. There were dozens of them overhead, flying in a steady stream, in small squadrons, in two and threes, single stragglers, all dashing in a roughly southwesterly direction, with looping detours to scoop up any passing insects. It was a magical sight, and I have never seen so many martins in these parts - or in England at all, I think. Hundreds must have passed over in the quarter-hour it took me to walk home, and even now, hours later, there are still some stragglers flying over. Has anyone else noticed such an overflight today?