Anyone seen any Swallows yet??

For the last two mornings, I 've been greeted by swallow bird song in the stable. Noticed a nest, conveniently placed over my horses head. House Martins have returned under the eaves, so I'll soon be wandering around doing the summer patrol with a bucket and scrubbing brush and also checking for fallen fledglings, particularly when alerted by mum and dad's desperate crys.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
Whilst we are on this thread can i just recommend that if you pull out horse tail from your brush that you either dispose of it in a bin or cut it with scissors so its not too long.

I wrote about this last year but in 2019 we had a fledgling that wouldnt leave it's nest. It's siblings had all fledged and were flying in and out of the nest and mum was still feeding it. Eventually there was just one that chose to perch next to it until that flew off. The following day my partner tried to take the bird out of the nest to check on it and it had died.

The reason? Because it's mum had used tail hair from our muck heap/yard flood to line the nest and it had become entangled in it with it's leg and died.

We were devastated and very upset, me particuarly because if only I'd have told my partner earlier we would have known it was okay to interfere with the nest and would have seen what was wrong with it. We kept thinkimg that if we disturbed the nest and it couldn't fly mum wouldn't keep feeding it.

So please remember to cut tail hair
Click to expand...

Found a parent bird hanging dead from its nest last year while babies were still in it ? got the ladders out and cut it down, was so sad. The other parent kept going and all 3 babies fledged though which was lovely to see
 
Three have arrived here today. So nice to see them and lots of midges to keep them happy this evening.

They are now circling my yard at full on top speed :)
 
I just got dive bombed by one coming out of their usual stable so they are back. I wonder how many I will get this year. The last couple of years its just been 2 nests but I have had up to 15 between all of the stables before. That was messy!
 
I was out in the garden at about 18h15 and heard a swallow chuntering away; looking around, I found it sitting on a neighbour's TV aerial.

Wouldn't you know it, by the time I'd gone inside and fitted an 80mm - 210mm zoom lens on my camera, the bird had buggered off.

So I took off that lens, put back the 50mm lens to take some pictures of Tabitha, and the swallow made a brief fly-past.

Any excuse for a celebration, these days: I've opened a can of beer.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
Whilst we are on this thread can i just recommend that if you pull out horse tail from your brush that you either dispose of it in a bin or cut it with scissors so its not too long.

I wrote about this last year but in 2019 we had a fledgling that wouldnt leave it's nest. It's siblings had all fledged and were flying in and out of the nest and mum was still feeding it. Eventually there was just one that chose to perch next to it until that flew off. The following day my partner tried to take the bird out of the nest to check on it and it had died.

The reason? Because it's mum had used tail hair from our muck heap/yard flood to line the nest and it had become entangled in it with it's leg and died.

We were devastated and very upset, me particuarly because if only I'd have told my partner earlier we would have known it was okay to interfere with the nest and would have seen what was wrong with it. We kept thinkimg that if we disturbed the nest and it couldn't fly mum wouldn't keep feeding it.

So please remember to cut tail hair
Click to expand...

I have had the dead hanging swallow syndrome and, as I know where all my nests aren I look up at them frequently and then attack any hanging hair (of which there is always some) with scissors.

They arrived here last night (Devon) 4 of them so we have several more yet to come. They put on a magnificent display to announce their arrival.
 
They come and nest in my stables every year... seen the first one last week!

kept saying I haven’t seen them yet thought they may had been on lockdown!
 
Mine came back on Easter Saturday they are in full making good old nests mode now, I love them in the morning they all sit on the rafters in my stables in a row watching me.
 
We still haven’t got any that I’ve seen. Have a nest in my stable but haven’t seen them return yet
 
Yay! Just back in from evening stables and there is a solitary swallow sitting on one of the old nests having a well earned snooze. 3 days earlier than their usual 18th and about 7 days earlier than last year ? Hopefully a mate for my lonely swallow and another 2 or 3 pairs will arrive soon....
 
I haven't actually seen ours yet but they have definitely been around because they have added to their usual nesting spot in my field shelter
 
Yay we only moved here in Sept 2019 and I'm thrilled that we have swallows in the outbuilding. I think I've spotted three so far. We also have House Martin nests under the eaves of the house but not seen any House Martins yet - the sparrow in one of those nests may be in danger of being turfed out soon.
 
At Last!! 2 diving in and out of the stables, chattering away last night ? was so pleased as the latest they’ve arrived in recent years was the 21st - I’d nearly given up hope! Still there this morning busy feeding so hopefully more friends will join them soon ??
 
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