Country diary: there's no other bird like the swift

West Norwood, south London: Enjoy the golden few months when these winged gymnasts grace our skiesOther birds are great. Of course they are. From goldcrest to eagle, they all have their allure. But they're not swifts.Swifts are magical. It's their otherness, the impression they give of coming to us through a portal from an alien world - a world in which the air is the natural medium, the ground to be abhorred. Why walk when you can fly, and especially if you can fly like a swift? Continue reading...