Late breeding Hirundae?

[sometimes]

There I was having a perfectly quiet walk along the river bank and I happened to pass beneath a motor way bridge that runs the road across the river wharfe. Anyway from beneath the bridge I could hear what appeared to be the 'scream' of young birds at the nest. Had it been any other time of year I'd have thought they were swallows/swifts/house martins - but this time of year? unfortunately it was too dark to see up into the girders of the bridge, not that I had my bins with me.
As it happened not 100yards further along the river I came across a mallard with 5 ducklings (not that old, still in the stripey stage).

[Nightranger]

Originally Posted by sometimes

There I was having a perfectly quiet walk along the river bank and I happened to pass beneath a motor way bridge that runs the road across the river wharfe. Anyway from beneath the bridge I could hear what appeared to be the 'scream' of young birds at the nest. Had it been any other time of year I'd have thought they were swallows/swifts/house martins - but this time of year? unfortunately it was too dark to see up into the girders of the bridge, not that I had my bins with me.
As it happened not 100yards further along the river I came across a mallard with 5 ducklings (not that old, still in the stripey stage).

I am confident the birds could have been swallows and this would not be unusual (see House Martin thread) in most years. The recent run of cool summers has generally halted breeding after July in the last few years but late broods going into September are far from unusual particularly as this summer has been relatively warm (or perhaps mild would be a better word for the north).

The other possibility for the location is of course, pigeons and again, this would not be unusual because most resident species can potentially breed throughout the year when the conditions are suitable. In this case, the birds would be feral pigeons rather than woodpigeons or collared doves.

Mallards sometimes have broods in mid winter but it is not thought that the survival rate is particularly high albeit that predation (given there are few easy options around at that time of year) pressure is often much higher rather than the threat from the weather.

[nakedgardener]

They wouldn't have been Swifts, they've all gone now.

But Swallows and house martins will carry on breeding til quite late, the parents will leave them after they've fledged, but the youngsters still know where to migrate to.... how?

[Jonners]

I was holidaying in Yorkshire in the second week of August, and there was a swallow nest outside our cottage door with four eggs in (16th August) and the parents busy to and fro.

[Nightranger]

Originally Posted by Jonners

I was holidaying in Yorkshire in the second week of August, and there was a swallow nest outside our cottage door with four eggs in (16th August) and the parents busy to and fro.

I forgot to say that swallows around the golf course end of the Promenade at Southport seem to be still going to active nests. I would normally expect house martins around buildings but the local residents have balconies and they seem to have accepted the swallows.

[teknomage]

Here in Mid Wales we have two second broods of swallows that have only just fledged, and there is yet another brood of housemartins which are just about to fledge in a nest in the eaves of the house. That's the third brood from that nest this year.

tekno.mage

[sometimes]

Thanks for all the replies on this. Hopefully the weather will be kind to any late hatched birds - goodness knows the various species can do will all the help they can get in maintaining their numbers.

[hedgewych]

I live in North Yorks, near Settle. In late May, just before my partner and me went up to Mull for a week we noticed swallows flying in and out of our outhouse. When we got home, they were still doing it, and they are still doing so at the end of August. Isn't it getting a bit late? And how many broods would they have from May - Aug? We are not able to see into the outhouse for fear of disturbing them.

[Naturenutz]

I would think this may well be a third brood.Its not unusual for broods to extend into september.Each brood can leave the nest in less than 5 weeks from the start of incubation.
regards
vic

[hedgewych]

Thanks, Vic. I'm just hoping for a happy outcome for the birds, but we haven't seen the previous broods leave, so I don't suppose we'll see these go either. Pity.