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Originally Posted by norfolkwildlife  I have seen alot so far around my area i think the reason they are slow coming is because of the wet summers we have had what do you think ? |
Hi. I am guessing here, but it does seem to me that the majority of House Martins seen by posters in England, are in the north and west of the country. Here in this part of north Sussex, I have not seen any for 2 0r 3 years, although there were several pairs nesting in one of the main shopping streets in Horsham a few years ago under a restaurant roof (since removed).
It could be that lack of insects in some areas could be partly the reason, farms have many flies etc round the cattle/sheep/poultry etc, whereas towns have little insect life except in parks and large gardens. This is affecting all insect eating birds, and even sparrows that feed their young exclusively on insect food for the first 14 days or so.
If any of you watched the excellent film on the wildlife of the former Iron Curtain countries, where filming was done from the borders of Russia to the Danube, one local bird observer in Croatia recorded a big decline in sand martins, due to the river authorities levelling sand cliffs along the Sava river, and destroying all the nesting sites. criminal and ignorant activity, that is happening in UK also, as posters here have stated.
In Spain, for those visiting, there are hundreds of Martins, Alpine and Pallied swifts screaming around every Church tower and tall public buildings, making a continuous noise every morning and evening, as they dart around at speed in huge numbers. what a sight indeed, but here sadly often silence nowadays