[Penninehillbilly]

upset, one of the cats 10+ years old has had a swallow, these are cats that share a feed bowl with the black birds ( who eat more cat food than the cats) 

Sorry to hear this RtB, hope it wasn't the female, have anymore come back yet?

[Rupert the bear]

upset, one of the cats 10+ years old has had a swallow, these are cats that share a feed bowl with the black birds ( who eat more cat food than the cats) 

Sorry to hear this RtB, hope it wasn't the female, have anymore come back yet?

Only one more ,know him from last year very distinctive lad.not sure of gender if deceased bird.
Keeping fingers crossed for more to arrive.
This time last year Mrs RTB counted 80 swallows.

[Fleecewife]

Rtb, have any more swallows arrived with you? We have just three still, they are very busy, but numbers are way down on previous years.  I know there are problems for migrating birds especially swallows whose traditional desert watering places are dry, or contaminated, or just not there any more, making their journey almost impossible.
Has anyone else noticed they have fewer swallows this year?

[Penninehillbilly]

Ive only seen tbe one pair, usually have a few pairs swooping about, some from the barn up the lane.
Sadly they also net them to eat in some countries dont they,. Horrible thought 

[Rupert the bear]

Rtb, have any more swallows arrived with you? We have just three still, they are very busy, but numbers are way down on previous years.  I know there are problems for migrating birds especially swallows whose traditional desert watering places are dry, or contaminated, or just not there any more, making their journey almost impossible.
Has anyone else noticed they have fewer swallows this year?

yes more have arrived, we are up to 20ish volume of song getting louder !
I was another farm locally this morning none of theirs have returned and its obvious by the amount of flying insects and the stillness

[Fleecewife]

Ive only seen tbe one pair, usually have a few pairs swooping about, some from the barn up the lane.
Sadly they also net them to eat in some countries dont they,. Horrible thought 

It would take several swallows to make a mouthful.  It's hardly a staple food they have to have - more like lark's tongues.  As if swallows don't have enough to make life difficult, without humans adding to their woes.

[Rupert the bear]

well after stacking straw in the steading I had a nap on top of the bales, I woke to a commotion of 2 swallows fighting. I was surprised  at how violent they were  , even trying to knock each other from the rafters by flying directly at each other, and while all this was going on another was collecting straw right next to me totally unperturbed.

[sabrina]

My birds have been about 3 wks later on arriving this year.

[Fleecewife]

My birds have been about 3 wks later on arriving this year.

Over the past couple of days, our numbers have increased from 3 to 7.  It sounds as if their journey has been long and hard this year, but they are ecstatic to have arrived - so excited.

[Penninehillbilly]

Good to hear more have made it back, poor things.

[Rupert the bear]

I spent the evening in the steading , it looks like the magpie suppression has paid dividends.its the most birds I have ever seen here. On Monday I counted over a hundred sitting on the roofs sunning themselves,it was a hot still day ,a lazy day just enough effort topping up the waterhole for them.
The red rumped swallows have done well too, time now to put extra mealworm out in preparation for the mas departure in a couple of weeks,there are still a few young ones just fledging.
I think I’ve done my little bit.

[Rupert the bear]

It look like they are starting to go , the dish of mealworm pate not quite empty this evening and a bit quieter, although lots of young ones and sadly newly fledged birds still here .

[Penninehillbilly]

I'm wondering what happened to the last brood, only seem to have 2 about, but I know they hatched some.

[Fleecewife]

It look like they are starting to go , the dish of mealworm pate not quite empty this evening and a bit quieter, although lots of young ones and sadly newly fledged birds still here .

Seems early.  Swallows usually leave around the middle of September.  The weather has suddenly turned autumnal here though so perhaps they are getting the itch to fly soon.
We have had late fledgers still here well into October. I think they would still get to their destination as the conditions would be warmer further south and still plenty to eat.  It seemed that other young swallows in the same situation gathered here on their way south and they flew off in a group.  A few more passed through a few days later last year.  I just hoped they would make it.
We have upwards of 40 swallows after a slow start to the year, with birds not arriving until into May.  I haven't noticed any parents still feeding young in the nest at this time, unlike last year.  The most I can remember is about 60.

[Fleecewife]

We have seen parents staying until their hatchlings fledge.  The parents then leave and the young hunt themselves and stay for another two or three weeks.


Do swallows eat wasps?  I would think having them for neighbours could be risky for the young.