What are Swallows and House Martins?
Swallows and House Martins are long-distance migrants which generally spend the winter months in Africa before returning to Europe each year to breed. The distance these birds cover on their migration is truly incredible – often more than 25,000km per year! Once they arrive in Europe in the early Spring, they have a race against the clock to raise their young before they have to make the momentous journey back to Africa in the autumn.
These beautiful little creatures form part of the very fabric of our summers, and have lived right beside us in our towns and villages for centuries. Not only do they delight us with their chattering and aerobatic flight, swooping in the air as they feed on insects and spiders, dashing low over lakes to take a drink, they actually help us by controlling potential plagues of insects, upon which they feed. It is estimated that a single Swallow will eat over 800 insects per day!! Think about that for a minute!
A Barn Swallow collecting mud for nest building
Where do they nest?
These tiny birds who have such fascinating yet difficult lives need our help. They build their nests, often under the eaves of houses and other buildings, from mud that they collect, forming this into cup-like structures. Another incredible fact about their lives is that they often return to the exact same nest year after year. Many of us who are fortunate enough to have nesting Swallows and House Martins on our properties keenly await their return each Spring, and watch with huge affection as they raise their families alongside us.
If conditions are favourable, these birds can successfully raise two or more broods in one breeding season, the stability of their population directly depending upon this. If they can return to and reuse an existing nest, this is a huge help as they don´t then have to spend valuable time and energy on finding a suitable site and constructing new nests.
A House Martin reconstructing a previously destroyed nest (Photo kindly provided by Mónica Palonés)
What threats do they face?
This is where we need to raise awareness of a huge threat. It has come to my attention that a number of companies in the UK and other countries are marketing their services to supply and instal products that are actually designed to prevent these birds from nesting (the photo on the left shows such a device). In a nature-loving society, in the twenty-first century, this is nothing short of shocking and appalling. On behalf of the Facebook group Save Our Swifts, Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins, I have contacted one of the principal companies involved in this practice to not only outline the immense harm their products do, but to respectfully suggest working with them to help them to offer services to actually protect and conserve bird life instead of destroying it. At the time of writing, we have received no response.
Why do people want to prevent Swallows and House Martins from nesting on their properties?
I´d love to believe that the majority of us would be delighted to have Swallows and House Martins nesting on our properties. To see them raise their young, and to share this spectacle with our children is of extreme value and brings much joy. However, there are those who don´t want this and who take active measures to prevent these fabulous little creatures from nesting.
With any kind of conflict of opinion, it´s always essential to understand the other point of view, and to build bridges rather than to form division and create hostility. Having listened to people who don´t want nesting birds on their properties, three things become clear.
Firstly, the reason they give is that they want to avoid the “mess” that nesting birds create. Secondly, they are unaware of the measures that can be taken to achieve exactly that. Thirdly, they are also unaware of the massive effort that these birds have to make simply to get back to the nesting grounds, and how damaging nest prevention measures can be.
What can we do instead of installing nest prevention devices?
We´ve already touched on the damage that can be inflicted on these birds and on our natural world by installing nest prevention devices, so let´s take a look at what measures can be taken to deal with any mess that these birds might create. To put this into context, we´re speaking about droppings of course. When I was fortunate enough to have a pair of Swallows nesting on my property, I have to say that the droppings didn´t cause me any problems.
Indeed, every week I´d take a brush and sweep the floor beneath the nest, but the amount was very small. At times, there were a few droppings on the wall beneath the nest, but again, this was easily cleaned with a stiff brush. And here´s another interesting fact – bird droppings are actually a great additive to compost or fertilizer, so can actually form part of eco-friendly gardening techniques! There´s plenty of information about this topic online. However, there are other measures that can be taken, and these may be even more appropriate when, for example, birds choose to nest above doorways. By fitting a simple shelf-like structure beneath the nests, any droppings will be caught and can then be safely removed and disposed of once the nesting season is over. Such items can be made relatively easily at home, but there are also a number of companies who supply such products, ready-made. Here is a link to one such provider… https://www.nhbs.com/droppings-board-for-house-martin-nests
How else can we help Swallows and House Martins?
For those who want to go a step further and help and encourage Swallows and House Martins to nest on their properties, there are other actions that can be taken. These involve the installation of artificial nests. It´s possible to make such nests by hand, and this can often be a fun activity to do with children. Again, there are also organisations that produce and supply such items, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Click here to see their website where they provide much more information on installing artificial nests. NHBS also supply artificial nests.
A business opportunity?
For many nature-loving people, the thought of having artificial nests or nesting boxes installed on their property or in their gardens, attracting an array of bird life is extremely appealing. However, not everyone is physically able to carry out the work involved. Therefore, we would appeal to any business, large or small, who may be interested in becoming involved in this work. By offering the service of installing artificial nests and nest boxes, you would not
only be tapping into a potential new market, but you´d be providing your business with much valued “green credentials”. This could be particularly attractive to building companies, gardening services, or indeed painting contractors for example. Anyone who may be interesting in knowing more can contact me on ValenciaBirding@gmail.com
Let´s look to the future and help these creatures.
I´m writing this article in early February, when Swallows and House Martins will already be making their way north, through Africa, crossing the Mediterranean and heading up through Southern Europe towards their nesting grounds. Please let´s await their return with kindness, playing a part in their survival and ensuring that our future generations can enjoy these emblematic birds that have firmly become an integral part of our summers, not to mention an absolutely essential part of our eco-systems. The next time we´re being bitten by mosquitos or irritated by flies, bear in mind the 800+ insects that each of these birds eat on a daily basis! Let´s serve our role as forming a part of nature, not as beings who want to destroy it. Let´s welcome the arrival of our beloved Swallows and House Martins with affection and anticipation, not with horrendous devices to prevent them from raising their families.
Written by Dave Warrington