LAKE DISTRICT SWALLOWS, MARTINS & SWIFTS

   Although commonly thought of as Hirundines this term only really applies to the swallow as the Martins and Swifts are from different family groups but for ease of description many people generalise all three into this category. From my own observations the Lake District seems to have reasonable populations of most of these birds indeed just a bit downriver from our cottage a colony of Sand Martins has set up home in a sandy cliff on the bank and there are some 30 plus holes most of which seem to be occupied. I don't know how the birds will fare this year as the weather has been so cold many birds seem to be struggling to catch many insects which must impact on the number of young they successfully raise to fledge.
   Swallows obviously face the same problem but it is always a joy to watch them flying low over the grassy meadows and fast flowing streams and at least there are a multitude of farm buildings and outbuildings for them to nest in. I am hoping to get some decent images from around here if we ever get to see the sun for any length of time!
   The birds that are very few in number up here in the more rural areas are House Martins which may be due the fact that there are many more suitable nesting sites in towns with more houses. Hundreds of years ago before we humans started building all our houses House Martins, Swallows and Swifts all nested in cliffs, caves and rocky outcrops so their populations must have limited in flat areas such as East Anglia.
   The species that seems to do very well in Cumbria are the Swifts and indeed in one of little hamlets close to our cottage most of the houses are constructed from stone which when used leave lots of cracks and crevasses that the Swifts use very effectively to nest in. Swifts are amazing creatures that hardly land from leaving the nest until returning to breed in their 4th year even sleeping on the wing. Birds that become grounded find it just about impossible to take off again because of their tiny feet and very long wings in proportion to their bodies and I can recall several occasions where I have come across birds on the ground and have had to throw them up in the air whereupon they have flown off. Because of their speed of flight and constantly being in the air their migration down to Africa takes no time at all and indeed the time spent in this country is quite small with many birds arriving in mid April and departing by the end of August.
   We were sitting outside a cafe enjoying a toasted sandwich watching the Swifts flying around in groups screaming and then coming into their nest sites at amazing speed before disappearing into the cracks to feed the young and emerging to fly off again so I managed to get a few shots before my 2 year old daughter became too impatient and we moved on.