[Fleecewife]

Ah - wonderful - the new wildlife section we have been waiting for 

I think our swallows have left although it's hard to tell in the wind.  This year we had a single house martin nest for the first time.  After the first brood the nest broke in half, leaving the young birds clinging to the remains.  Amazingly within a couple of days the whole thing had been repaired and looked like new, ready for at least one more new brood.  I've no idea how so many birds squash inside such a small nest - at least with swallows they can hang out when it gets crowded.
The books tell me that martins may stay on into October before setting off for Africa, but does anyone know where in Africa they go?
I have really enjoyed having the martins this year.  My washing line is near their nest and they nag and complain whenever I am too close, or walk underneath the nest.  They seem to have even more character than swallows.

[Sandy]

So nice to have them nest where you can see them, I wonder how they choose where they go, I suppose its like us having a propery in another country, I bet the very same ones nest in the same area every year!!!

[Miss Piggy]

Hi the House Martin will migrate to tropical Africa i.e Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and sometimes as far south as South Africa. It can also be seen in Tropical Asia. We have Martins ans Swallows nesting in our barns each year and they return to exactly the same space each year. We love them as you do, but boy do they leave a mess behind them! 

[Fleecewife]

   We found there are still some swallows sheltering in the barn, but once they have gone it will be time to clear up this years guano contribution    I wonder how they produce so much    A bit like ducks and peafowl.

Am I right that martins usually prefer a two storey house?  We assumed that was why we didn't have any while our neighbours did, but this pair are clearly happy with low rise life    I hope they come back next year.

So some even go to Asia - amazing, aren't they?  I do find it interesting to think of the totally different lives swallows and martins have when they are in Africa, or wherever, compared to when they are here.  They do seem to get to know us and interact to some extent (especially targeting the car and washing with poop strikes) so I wonder if they also have a family of humans at the other end of their journey who are also 'their' family? Here the swallows collect flies and so on often quite close to the sheep, or fly under them when they are feeling playful - I wonder which animals they swoop over in Africa.

[Miss Piggy]

Hi, not sure about preferring high rise living, ours, both martins and swallows choose to nest in the stables and the low barns when they could nest higher up in the taller barns or in the eaves of our  three storey house.
When they return each year, I always wonder what they have seen and done in their abscence from us. They are so sensible, while we all shiver around the fire and worry about fuel bills, they holiday in the sun.
Yes and considering they only eat insects it is absolutely amazing how much they poop. They need to take what they need from the insect themslves and then feed their young. Just goes to show how many insects they must catch in a day, all on the wing as well.

[cairnhill]

I still have a solitary Swallow who shelters in out steading at night.  I hope she hasn't missed the exodus to warmer climes. 

[SallyintNorth]

Here the swallows collect flies and so on often quite close to the sheep, or fly under them when they are feeling playful - I wonder which animals they swoop over in Africa.

Until recently I thought it was just my young collie bitch playing with the swallows - but gradually it seemed more and more as though they were teasing and playing with her.  I've watched some more and am now convinced they absolutely do 'draw' her - where she runs, insects puff up and the swallows swoop across her 'wake' feeding on the insects she's dislodged.

This has explained something I never previously understood.  I'd observed for several years that they swoop around and in front of the quad bike.  It was the 'in front of' I couldn't get to grips with - no insects there, the quad hasn't put them up yet.  I now think it's an instinctive behaviour; if the moving creature likes chasing, the swooping in front will generate more running about and hence more insects.  The quad doesn't chase, but the collie does!

[Fleecewife]

I still have a solitary Swallow who shelters in out steading at night.  I hope she hasn't missed the exodus to warmer climes.

We still have a couple of late broods waiting to go so she will have company.

[Fleecewife]

That's fascinating Sally - what clever birds.  It reminds me of a romantic canal cruise/dinner we had - the only one ever because we don't do romantic  .  It was dark and bats were swooping in front of the barge, picking off insects attracted to the headlights.  No one else noticed or was interested, but that made the trip for us.  The opposite of your swallows really.

Wouldn't it be good to have a tiny camera on swallows so we could watch them on their hols?  The only picture I have seen of swallows in Africa showed huge flocks of them, behaving differently to how they behave up here when they are nesting.  They must help to reduce numbers of tsetse flies and mozzies, just as they do with horse flies and midgies here.  I wonder how many rare and beautiful butterflies they take?  Here they pick off small tortoiseshells from our buddleia bushes, as tasty snacks - not seen them eating cabbage whites though 

[faith0504]

We have still got some Swallows and Housemartins buzzing about they cant be far off going now, the weather here is awful at the minn

[Fleecewife]

I have just seen that our martins are still feeding young in the nest.  It looked as if one had just fledged and was flapping round shouting 'hey look at me mum' but more are still inside the nest.  I think they go later than swallows, and there are loads of flies today for feeding them, but it does seem late for the young to have to fly all that way.

[Fleecewife]

The last batch of our swallows left yesterday.  Suddenly it's peaceful and we can hear the other birds.  The martins seem delighted to have the skies to themselves for a while and the cat is pleased that she can go outside without being dive-bombed.  And we can look forward to them coming back in the spring.