We are staying in our caravan at a farm near Stratford on Avon at the moment. Whilst driving up here on Saturday, a bird flew in front of us and I was convinced that it was a swallow. We get a lot of them nesting around our home so I am very familiar with their shape, compared to martins which we also have a lot of during the summer. The swallow spotted on Saturday was somewhere between Moreton in Marsh and our destination just off the Fosse Way about 5 miles east of Stratford on Avon.
I bet any swallows that have overwintered here will be regretting it with the freezing temperatures that we are having. :-\
