I like House Martins. Yesterday at Stanwick Lakes I was wearing a T-shirt (Hen Harrier Day 2014 if you really want to know), shirt, fleece and my Barbour but I wasn’t warm in the cold NE wind.
However, there were 2 Common Sandpipers and my first LRP of the year so it felt as though spring was doing its best.
Also there were masses of Swallows – a few hundred flying NE , into the wind, and down the Nene Valley. Surely there must be a few House Martins amongst them? Well, there was one that I found – and I really don’t think there were many more. I saw three Swifts but only one House Martin.
I see from my Birdtrack records that my first House Martn at Stanwick Lakes could be any time between early April and mid-May so I guess this year isn’t particularly odd. But it feels to me as though House Martins are very thin on the ground so far – as they were in my street all through last summer. I don’t feel confident about House Martins these days.
| 2005 | 16 April |
|---|---|
| 2006 | late May |
| 2007 | late May |
| 2008 | 4 May |
| 2009 | 9 May |
| 2010 | 2 April |
| 2011 | 7 April |
| 2012 | 21 April |
| 2013 | 27 April |
| 2014 | 12 May |
| 2015 | abroad |
| 2016 | 25 April |
| 2017 | abroad |
| 2018 | 29 April |
If I had flown down the Nene to The Wash and then hung a left I would end up at RSPB Frampton nature reserve, where there were two Red-rumped Swallows yesterday. I wonder whether they had headed through Stanwick Lakes? Or whether they are heading my way now? I’ll be looking out for them over the next few days until this blog begins to enter torpor.
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I like House Martins to. There’s not as many as there used to be. Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, there used to be lots on houses in the local village. Unfortunately I’ve not seen one yet this year, and Swallows are still in low numbers. But I did see several Hobbies on Fenns and Whixall Moss NNR, got some okay photos, and with a slow approach get within less than 50 foot of one perched and watched it for about 10 minutes, until the sun came back out.
Hi Housemartins have just arrived in Chester.
I hope the swallows you saw yesterday that headed for the Wash are feeding OK in this weather we have in the East.
Here the swallows fluttered out of the shed and round the yard briefly in a cold North wind and driving rain. I hope the sun shines tomorrow and they can feed.
As a substitute for an official record of the number of flies about our back porch gives a good indication by the number of fly spots on the glass and this year there is a great dearth of them.
I am hoping that the lack of the humming of bees in the cherry tree is because everything flowered at once this spring and they had so much choice
Well the next day was “reasonable” and we had a look round. One swallow dead on a nest (it may have been dead before yesterday but it had moist eyes) and one dead on the ground. The latter was near a window. Which would have been a rain streaked window. They go into sheds and garages so it may have been trying to get in to look for insects out of the rain. We had 4/5 swallows around before this weather. We usually have 5 or more pairs nesting here.
Hi,
I must say I have grave concerns this year about the House Martin numbers in this area too (S Leics).
I have been privileged to have them nesting on my house or my neighbours for almost 24 years and this year they seem to be so few and none have been near a well used spot. There are a few around but nothing like the numbers that left here last year. I keep looking in hope every day.
Something seems to have gone seriously wrong as it bears no resemblance to the many years before that I have witnessed.
We normally have at least 5 pairs and up to 8 but none as at 28 may 2018 in fact a blue tit has taken over one nest.
May 28th 2018. I live in Lyneham,Nth Wiltshire and I too am very concerned at the tiny few House Martins that have arrived this year.We normally have hundreds and they would arrive here early May so far just a handful.Last years nests are undisturbed but no takers yet.