House Martin webcam (1 Viewer)

If you want to watch comings and goings at a set of artificial House Martin nests please visit my diary website and go to the House Martin webcam. This activity may only last for a day or so, but I'm hopeful that the nests will be used during the summer. Just to complicate matters, as I write this House Sparrows have turned up to investigate the nests, something they haven't done all Spring!

Very few House Martins turned up in our neighbourhood back in April/May and my nests remained unused, as did a natural nest on a neighbour's house that has been used every year for many years.

Anyway, yesterday (10 July) a family moved into our boxes, complete with fledglings and they have been coming and going ever since, with an adult taking a special interest in box 1. This makes me optimistic that we may get to see a late brood produced, as has happened here previously.

The present webcam is a composite image with an external shot of all three nests, and cameras inside each nest. There is no lighting, so that images will only be available during UK daylight hours. If a new brood is started I will probably set up a second webcam to concentrate on that one nest.

DavidJJones said:

..... Anyway, yesterday (10 July) a family moved into our boxes, complete with fledglings and they have been coming and going ever since, with an adult taking a special interest in box 1. This makes me optimistic that we may get to see a late brood produced, as has happened here previously........

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An update on the 13th - Today the pair of adults have spent long periods in the nest with the male vigorously preening both upper and lower plumage around his partner's head. During one session he mounted her, with mating lasting just a short time. That was repeated at least once more before the end of the morning.

This afternoon both birds have been bringing in feathers, so it looks pretty certain that they will be raising a brood here.

Unfortunately, after ignoring the camera for the last three days, this afternoon the pair have also taken to pecking at the lens so that the image has become rather fuzzy in places. I assume this is their reaction to the reflections they see. Hopefully they will give up their attacks once they realise that it is no threat to them, and I'm keeing my fingers crossed that the image will continue to be useable in the daytime.

For the moment I have switched the webcam to concentrate on the action in nest 1, although at some point I will set up the second webcam to provide the composite image again.

House Martins have their first egg

An update on the House Martins - the first egg was laid this morning.

It's been fascinating to watch the pair, still together in the nest at 9.25am with the male paying a lot of attention to his partner and the egg, sitting on them both!

During the course of the morning I'll be setting up a second webcam to concentrate on the nest, and I'll continue to update the diary as an when things happen.

Thanks for that. I will have a look. Great website by the way.

A second House Martin pair move in

DavidJJones said:

An update on the House Martins - the first egg was laid this morning.

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Since that time, three more eggs were laid and incubation is underway in nest 1, with hatching due around 4-6 August.

This morning a second pair have shown intent to nest in nest 3. A single bird had been bringing in feathers over the last week or so, and roosting in there, but this morning a second Martin appeared and the pair have mated at least twice. If they do go on to produce offspring, they appear to be about 2 weeks later than the other pair.

The camera in nest 3 has a narrower field of view than that in nest 1, so while it doesn't cover the whole of the nest space it should give better images of the eggs and developing chicks - my fingers are crossed!

Webcam

been a regular watcher of the martins since the webcam installed, great work!

Have some RSPB martin boxes myself but debating whether to put them under the front eaves(where unfortunately there ia a porch roof 2 metres below) or under the rear eaves(no porch).
I note from your website you say you have a stainless covered porch under your nest boxes, how far below the nests is it? Just need a reference to see whether they will use my boxes with the porch under them.
Also do you know of any locations near you where the nests are at the rear of the house(dont want to put them where they wont be used)

Thanks and will keep watching the pair in box 3 with interest!

ANdy5551 said:

been a regular watcher of the martins since the webcam installed, great work!

Have some RSPB martin boxes myself but debating whether to put them under the front eaves(where unfortunately there ia a porch roof 2 metres below) or under the rear eaves(no porch).
I note from your website you say you have a stainless covered porch under your nest boxes, how far below the nests is it? Just need a reference to see whether they will use my boxes with the porch under them.
Also do you know of any locations near you where the nests are at the rear of the house(dont want to put them where they wont be used)

Thanks and will keep watching the pair in box 3 with interest!

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Hello Andy,

Thanks - it's been fascinating to watch the Martins so far -very different to the Blue/Great Tits and the Starlings that I've followed previously.

I see that the BTO nest guide suggests that artifical House Martin nests should be positioned in groups at medium height (defined in the book as 'chest height to about 5m). Beyond that it doesn't give any other guidance on positioning.


My porch must be some 9-10ft below the nests, which face east and are under an overhanging roof which protrudes a little over 2ft beyond the house wall, so they are well protected from rain. There are four other nests that I know of in our road and they are all in similar positions, but with two facing east and the other two facing west (on the other side of the road!).

I don't know of any nests in my immediate neighbourhood that are located at the back of a house, although that is most likely down to the more tempting overhangs provided at the house fronts!

As far as nesting at the back of a house is concerned, I can't see why not, as long as the position is suitable. It seems that as long as the eves protrude at least 12cm they would be able nest, although with the weather we've been getting this summer, an overhang that small would give little protection for a west-facing nest.

An important thing to consider about siting is that the nests need a clear approach. My experience here is that the birds often approach and leave the nests either down or up our road rather than across it, sometimes swooping very low as they do so. This is something that they would not be able to do if they nested at the back of my house because of trees in my and neighbouring gardens. Also, as I have House Sparrows here, it would probably result in the nests being taken over!

Hope this helps a bit,

House Martins -their eggs are hatching

An update on the House Martins - two of their eggs hatched at some time before 8.30am. As I write this the bird on duty in the nest is eating a bit of egg shell.

The webcam continues .....

House Martins - a sad end

DavidJJones said:

An update on the House Martins - two of their eggs hatched at some time before 8.30am. As I write this the bird on duty in the nest is eating a bit of egg shell.

The webcam continues .....

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Over the next day all four eggs hatched and the chicks made good progress. However, over the last week their development didn't seem to match what I would have expected for birds nearing fledging, with the parents were bringing in less and less food. Yesterday I recorded over 8 hours of video which showed no visits by either parent, and this morning the chicks are dead.

A disappointing end, but not surprising, considering the very poor weather conditions that we have experienced this month, with daytime temperatures struggling to get much above 15C and precious little sunshine to bring out the insects. Let's hope that next summer is better.