I was back painting my son's flat in Shawlands today. At lunchtime I had a good walk around the 1km square covering Langside (NS5761) and managed a reasonable total of 24 species. In amongst them were some notable birds including Grey Wagtail and Dipper. Mistle Thrush and Blackcap were additions to my all-time list for the square. However the highlight was a flypast by three Swifts, so close that I could hear the air rushing past their wings. I know the species used to breed at nearby Battlefield, and seeing birds so close to the ground would suggest an intention to summer locally. However the cool weather of recent days is no doubt depressing aerial prey numbers and may well play a part in whether the birds even attempt to breed. My all-time list for the square currently consists of: Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Goosander, Swift, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Wren, Starling, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Blackbird, Robin, Dipper, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Siskin (38 species).