Myself and Russel Harris both recorded swifts on April 18th ....... I saw one over Bathpool, and Russel Harris recorded a dozen over Ham Wall on the same day.
First Swifts of the year in Butleigh High Street yesterday (5 May). They were 'screaming' which I normally associate with warm summer evenings rather than upon arrival.
I had a small 'screaming' party around my house at the weekend, Geoff, and I think it's associated with a return to breeding sites either by last year's offspring or previous local breeders. (We usually have at least two pairs, with others in adjacent buildings.)