Two weeks ago, on 28 August, I spotted these House martin chicks still in their wonderfully engineered mud-built home, gaping greedily whenever their parents returned with niblets of food.

Today they, and the chicks from the neighbouring two nests, were out and about, practising their flying skills and catching their own insects to eat, but returning often to their nests as if not yet quite ready to break their bonds with the comfort and safety and security of home to fly the thousands of miles to over-winter in Africa. Soon though, their time will come …