[zwartbles]

No house martins for us last year but some returned and raised young this year.

[zwartbles]

Very entertaining. They go of for the day and then return early evening and appear to spend some time doing an orientation flight so that the kids know where they live!

[Fleecewife]

About a week to go until migration and we still have two nests with chicks in.  One has two which look ready to leap - I think they'll go tomorrow when the wind dies down a bit, but the other nest has four in and they are younger, with fluff on their heads.  I'm wondering if these are being fed by only one parent as they are growing more slowly than usual.  I wonder what chance they have of making it to Africa?


The last of the Loch Arkaig ospreys left yesterday.  One bird from this nest reached Somerset a fortnight ago and has stayed until yesterday too, filling up with fish before heading on.  JJ6 - some of you may have seen him on twitter.  He was the first to hatch at Loch Arkaig this year and the first to set off south.

[Rupert the bear]

ours are showing the signs too, mealworm pate is on the menu , we also have very young'uns on the point of fledging , I think it will be like last year , an adult or two to look after them. Then time to clean up after them.

[Possum]

Ours have been lining up on the telephone wires for a few days now. Always sad to see them go but at least we can look forward to flocks of chattering starlings taking their place.

[Rupert the bear]

The day I hate ,   first light a lot of noise as they gathered and a while later they had mostly gone .
A count I can see 7/8 young in flight and a nest of week old hatchlings .
Hope they will be ok    fingers crossed for the young ones that the weather is kind to them and they remember to come back.

[Fleecewife]

Our adults are still around and both late nests have now fledged, but the chicks are still at the puffed up stage and coming back inside when it rains.
Last year we still had unfledged nestlings when most adults migrated, but the parents stayed a while to get them fledged, then left and the young left about a month later, joining up with late leavers from further north.
I hope the parents of your nestlings have stuck around.

[Rupert the bear]

Our adults are still around and both late nests have now fledged, but the chicks are still at the puffed up stage and coming back inside when it rains.
Last year we still had unfledged nestlings when most adults migrated, but the parents stayed a while to get them fledged, then left and the young left about a month later, joining up with late leavers from further north.
I hope the parents of your nestlings have stuck around.

I have just come in from the steading , there are 2 adults 9 juveniles and a nest of an unknown number .
Its quite warm and humid this evening and the bats are out in force .

[Womble]

We still have two nestfuls in our garage. They're second broods, but even then, they're cutting it a bit fine I think.


I would also like them to get a move-on please, since I want to grind the lumps off the floor in there and paint it. If only I'd got it done before they arrived!

[Fleecewife]

I don't want our swallows to leave quite yet - there are so many mozzies, gnats, midgies and every other biting flying insect you can think of which they need to eat up for us before they go. Midgies have only been this far south and this far inland for about the past 10 or 15 years - when we moved here there were none.  Now we have to adopt the Highland way of retreating indoors when the vicious little blighters emerge.
Just noticed yet another late nest has fledged, so that will be well into October before they can head south.

[Ghdp]

Our last lot fledged today! So beautiful to see but boy are they cutting it fine. They are, we think, a third brood. Is that possible?

[Fleecewife]

Our last lot fledged today! So beautiful to see but boy are they cutting it fine. They are, we think, a third brood. Is that possible?

Yes, there are frequently third broods here if the swallows have arrived on time in spring.  This year and last year they arrived late and there were no third broods

[Possum]

Most of ours went on Monday or Tuesday but the churchwarden reported that the third nest of the year in the church porch was still occupied. (Since no-one has been going into the church via the porch since March the swallows had taken full advantage). However, we were all relieved to hear that they left on Thursday. I do hope the youngsters are strong enough to make it to Africa. 

[Fleecewife]

Most of ours left yesterday (18th).  No fanfare, no big massing on the wires, just gone. There are ten left, from the three recently fledged nests, still just babies happy catching flies.  I expect them to take 2 or 3 more weeks to get ready to leave. Usually more come by from further north and wait around here for a day or two then they all go together.

[Anke]

I think ours went during the week as well, haven't seen any for the last two days... we only had the one pair left, which had a late 2nd brood.


So, time to put the wood burner back on...