Bird on a wire

I know the image may not be terribly good but I was intrigued to see these swallows gathering together today. I thought their migration happened in September and it is only mid-august - maybe they are just starting to gather now, waiting for other chums to join them, due to the rather cold summer we are ]having!

I was explaining to the two oldest grandsons about why the swallows were gathering and how they would soon set off to fly to Africa. The 4yr old immediately gasped - "They will be really out of puff when they get there"!