Feeding the young

Our housemartins have had a very strange year. This is my record of it so far (taking photographs daily has its uses beyond Blipfoto)

They arrived late - I had almost given up on them. On 9th June I watched a pair exploring a neighbours gable. But that was it until early July, when for the first time a pair (actually a threesome) were seen entering and leaving the nest under our gable. Then, finding egg fragments on the ground under the nest (8th July) I assumed that the breeding year was underway. However, their appearances were sporadic for some time, and they only really got going two weeks or so later. Or so I thought. Certainly they were coming into and out of the nest regularly, and although I heard no chicks and the usual array of droppings were not there below the nest I assumed that fledging must be happening soon.

Then on the 15th August I found a complete egg under the nest (that was my blip this last Tuesday !), which was a real surprise. And from then things really did get going, chicks calling from the nest and the reassuring mess below. I think this must be a first brood and that whatever was happening in July into early August it wasn’t about successfully rearing young. The summer has been.cool, and from Spring onwards there were reports of far fewer flying insects around, so that may have something to do with the late arrival and very late breeding. However, as can be seen in the image at least two punk-like chicks are nearing fledging. Cross fingers they leave the nest satisfactorily.

The nest and its environs are a real mess. The old nest was effectively demolished by house sparrows a few years ago. So we had an artificial nest put up. Returning they rejected that in favour of building their own nest on the ledge above it. That’s now been in use for a number of years. Probably not the most hygienic environment, but that doesn’t seem to bother the martins at all.