Is autumn just around the corner?

One swallow does not a summer make or so the old saying goes, but when they start congregating on telephone lines I can't help thinking autumn must be just around the corner.

Birds on a wire

Don't get me wrong I love the autumn, but I'm always sad to see the swallows leave. British swallows spend their winter in South Africa: they travel through western France, across the Pyrenees, down eastern Spain into Morocco and across the Sahara. Some birds take an alternative route and follow the west coast of Africa thus avoiding the rigours of the Sahara. Either way it's one hell of journey for a such small animals to make.

So with two weeks of August still left in the calendar and the swallows already congregating, does this mean autumn will come early this year?