david2004
Well-known member
On my estate there is a colony of House Martins, about 20 pairs. There are also a few pairs of Swifts around. They left at the very beginning of August. Earlier in the year (about three months ago) the House Martins were swooping low over the houses and gardens and flying upwards to the walls and apexes and sometimes staying there for a few seconds. I thought this was checking out nest sites, but I'm not sure.
Today, something very weird happened. About an hour ago, hundreds of House Martins appeared, wheeling and swooping all over the place. Particularly in one garden. They were swooping up to the apex, back down again over the garden and landing in a tree! Many birds perched in the tree for a while and then flew up again, swooping like mad all over the place again.
Some were in the fields (I live on the edge of the estate next to a copse and farmland) and over the trees, but mainly in this one garden. Then many moved off and were all over the estate, flying through the gardens and going up to the apexes again, like the time that I described at the beginning of this thread.
Then they were everywhere again, and particularly this one garden, and I even noticed some very high in the sky - they were everywhere! Far more than I have ever seen here before, there must be about 300 + around. Then, I saw two Swifts with them! This estate's Swifts left 11 days ago, but suddenly these birds appeared.
Surely they're not getting ready to leave this early (House Martins)? Are they getting ready for migration so soon? I know they have more than one brood, and last year they stayed until September. There are still youngsters in some of the nests.
Are they passage birds, which would explain the Swifts? Again, surely not this early? Or are they the earliest nesters that have finished and are just passing through, leaving the rest behind?
There are many flying ants around here at the moment, and lots of House Sparrows are catching them in the air. Could this explain the unusual behaviour?
I took lots of pictures, and will try to upload them tonight. Now the numbers have reduced to only about 40 birds, and the huge number have disappeared!
Please help! Thanks.
Today, something very weird happened. About an hour ago, hundreds of House Martins appeared, wheeling and swooping all over the place. Particularly in one garden. They were swooping up to the apex, back down again over the garden and landing in a tree! Many birds perched in the tree for a while and then flew up again, swooping like mad all over the place again.
Some were in the fields (I live on the edge of the estate next to a copse and farmland) and over the trees, but mainly in this one garden. Then many moved off and were all over the estate, flying through the gardens and going up to the apexes again, like the time that I described at the beginning of this thread.
Then they were everywhere again, and particularly this one garden, and I even noticed some very high in the sky - they were everywhere! Far more than I have ever seen here before, there must be about 300 + around. Then, I saw two Swifts with them! This estate's Swifts left 11 days ago, but suddenly these birds appeared.
Surely they're not getting ready to leave this early (House Martins)? Are they getting ready for migration so soon? I know they have more than one brood, and last year they stayed until September. There are still youngsters in some of the nests.
Are they passage birds, which would explain the Swifts? Again, surely not this early? Or are they the earliest nesters that have finished and are just passing through, leaving the rest behind?
There are many flying ants around here at the moment, and lots of House Sparrows are catching them in the air. Could this explain the unusual behaviour?
I took lots of pictures, and will try to upload them tonight. Now the numbers have reduced to only about 40 birds, and the huge number have disappeared!
Please help! Thanks.
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