SWALLOWS have started arriving in bigger numbers over the Easter holiday weekend with many spotted all over the Island, particularly in the north.

The first swallows to be sighted by isleofman.com were two weeks ago - on Saturday, April 9th - in Bride, close to Glen Truan golf course - but very few have arrived since.

Several thousand swallows and house martins visit the Isle of Man every summer, having travelled an incredible 10,000 miles journey to South Africa and back during the Manx winter. Swifts are also summer visitors to the Island, but not in such large numbers.

Other birds spotted on the Isle of Man recently include exceptionally high numbers of black-throated divers off Ballaugh Beach, the return of sandwich terns in large numbers, the first grasshopper warblers and whitethroat of the year.

Two reports were sent in of great spotted woodpeckers from the north of the Island; one, a female, was found dead in Andreas. Marshall Corlett saw a great spotted woodpecker taken in Greeba on April 1st.

Further information: www.manxbirdlife.im