Swallows

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

If one swallow doesn't make a summer, how about two or three or four? This pair of Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) youngsters spent some time resting on our phone wire on a recent afternoon, keeping a watchful eye on mum and dad (and the occasional passing Herring Gull) and vigorously preening. It's a popular wire with swallows; they often rest there. Sadly, they haven't yet nested in the garden, despite the platform installed especially for them. Our garden provides plenty of tasty little morsels though, so we regularly see them over the property. Swallows are summer visitors to the British Isles, arriving as early as March (though more often April) and leaving as late as October. They are the world's most widespread swallow, found for at least part of the year on every continent except Antarctica. In the UK, it occurs everywhere except the Scottish highlands. Their long tail streamers (shorter on youngsters) and rusty-orange throats help to distinguish them from other hirundines in the UK.

Swallow numbers can vary considerably from year to year. Cold, wet springs, like the one we had this year, can cause insect populations to collapse, which leads to a lack of food for both adults and nestlings. The RSPB says climate change is causing serious food and water problems on Barn Swallow wintering grounds and migration routes as well, with birds often returning to their breeding grounds in poor condition. Many are laying fewer eggs than they used to. Most European birds cross the Sahara to reach their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa, and that desert grows larger every year. This makes it increasingly difficult for the birds to successfully cross it. Fingers crossed these two and their parents make it back next summer!