I WAS driving back over Bodmin Moor from Camelford, the weather fine but cooler than of late – thank goodness, in my opinion.

Of course, Geraldine said recently it hadn’t been much of a summer and I pointed out we’ve had four heatwaves in the country and that it was one of the hottest summers on record, but to little avail. As far as she is concerned, only weeks of hot sun will do, so I give up trying to convince her otherwise.

Anyway, just before crossing the Camel River, I saw a large flock of small birds, flying away from me. I realised they were swallows, although a few martins had tagged along. There were about 150 birds, so this was it, the first sign for me that the big autumn migration is under way.

Swallows actually stay on for quite some time, some birds will linger here into November, and there are reports of a few overwintering birds as winters get milder in Britain. Most of the swifts, of course, are long gone, although a couple of stragglers passed over the house a few days ago.

The swallows leaving now are mainly the first broods that fledged in June and have been hanging around ever since. It’s a great advantage to fledge early and build up flying skills and strength before embarking on a 9000km journey to Southern Africa that will take about six weeks.

The birds will average about 200km a day and travel through France, Spain and then cross the Sahara, where food is scarce, before traversing the tropics.

They will get to South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in late November and enjoy the holiday there till about early March next year. Not a bad trip if you’re only a few weeks old.