Still alive! (1 Viewer)

orielmitchell · Aug 8, 2004

I thought I would like to thank Steve and Simon for all the help and info reagarding housemartin rearing. It seems to be doing well on dog food soaked in water and the occasional fly despite the fact some I can't always feed it regularly.
I've been looking at related "threads" and I'm getting a bit worried the reast of the Martins might been moving back south??
Also how do you know when a chick is ready to fly?

Jos Stratford · Aug 9, 2004

Wouldn't worry too much about the martins leaving just yet, I'm a good few hundred kilometres further north than you and there'll still be a few up here til Sept (and back in the UK until Oct even).
When is it ready to fly? If it looks fully feathered, you could try sitting on your hand, gently moving your hand up and down to see if it takes the risk to launch from your hand (would suggets this experiment is carried out above grass in event of a crash landing).
I have no experience of rearing House Martin fledgling,but hope this might be useful advice. Good luck, I would guess the quicker you can get it into the air, si it can independently feed, the better are its chances

orielmitchell · Aug 9, 2004

Jos Stratford said:
Wouldn't worry too much about the martins leaving just yet, I'm a good few hundred kilometres further north than you and there'll still be a few up here til Sept (and back in the UK until Oct even).
When is it ready to fly? If it looks fully feathered, you could try sitting on your hand, gently moving your hand up and down to see if it takes the risk to launch from your hand (would suggets this experiment is carried out above grass in event of a crash landing).
I have no experience of rearing House Martin fledgling,but hope this might be useful advice. Good luck, I would guess the quicker you can get it into the air, si it can independently feed, the better are its chances

Thanks for the advice. I called the bird protection league this morning and they tell me to wait till the wings are as long as the tail. They also told me when it was ready i had to throw it into the air (over grass as you suggested) while there are other martins flying around.

Can anyone tell me where Housemartins sleep while they are building their nests? and where do the younsters go once they can fly cos they can't all fit in the small nests they build to have the eggs ??
Oriel.

Jos Stratford · Aug 9, 2004

Many members of the swallow family roost in big communal roosts, often in reedbeds. I would guess House Martins would do the same, but stand to be corrected. Young birds do however return to the nest to roost, at least for a few days after fledging ...if enough room for them in the days before flying, there must be in the days after I would guess.
Might be interesting for you, last year was involved in ringing in Southern Africa and some of the ringers went on to a Swallow roost in Botswana where several hundred thousand of 'our' Swallows roosted every night in a reedbed!

Still alive! (1 Viewer)

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