The Kingston riverside swallows, my avian X-factor winners enjoyed an excellent nesting season this summer.

As always, they were a delight to watch interacting with and feeding young. As far as I can judge, each adult pair raised three broods of four fledglings, the last brood leaving its nest in mid-August.

Shortly before fledging, feeding speeds up. I love to stand on the wooden boards of the pier just above a nest slung below against a beam feet from the water.

Both parents are equally attentive. At intervals of about a minute, one will flick onto its flight path about fifty metres downstream, fly very fast towards me just above the river in a direct line and zoom up into the nest without slowing down to feed waiting young. I can almost hear them twittering "me-me-me" as they demand food.

There is no fear of my disturbing the birds which are totally unruffled and well used to crowds of people constantly walking above them on the jetty to board a boat.

On my last visit on a warm late August afternoon when flying ants were airborne there was no sign of the bluebirds.

Presumably they have now dispersed and moved on to feed up in preparation for their long flight to South Africa next month where they will  spend our winter six thousand miles from Kingston.