Barn Swallow at haslingden Grane, Rossendale, Lancashire, England - May 2017

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guid...

Swallows are small birds with dark, glossy-blue backs, red throats, pale underparts and long tail streamers. They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter.

Swallow numbers in the UK have fluctuated over the last 30 years with pronounced regional variation in trends.

Overview

Latin name
Hirundo rustica

Family
Swallows and martins (Hirundinidae)

Where to see them
Swallows are found in areas where there is a ready and accessible supply of small insects. They are particularly fond of open pasture with access to water and quiet farm buildings. Large reedbeds in late summer and early autumn can be good places to look for pre-migration roosts.

When to see them
March to October.

What they eat
A range of small invertebrates.

Population

UK Breeding:- 860,000 territories

Broken nests

Occasionally a swallow nest may fall. A shallow margarine or ice cream tub or low plastic flower pot fixed at the old nest site makes a good substitute. Place the remains of the old nest or some hay inside, and replace the nestlings.

The parents will hear the young calling and should continue to feed them. In the rare instance when parents desert or it is not possible to provide a substitute nest, the young will depend on human help for their survival.

Rearing young swallows is difficult and time consuming and should be taken on only as a last resort. If possible, pass the young birds to an expert rehabilitator.

Encouraging nesting

Swallows prefer outbuildings which provide dark ledges and nooks and crannies for nesting. These are cosy in cold weather and cool when it is hot. Swallows can enter a building through a very small hole and need very little light. Brightly lit nest sites are most at risk from predators.

To help them to nest in a garage or outhouse:

Make a small opening, minimum 50 mm high and 200 mm wide, under the garage or barn eaves or leave a window or door open
Fix a nest platform where you would like them to nest, high in the building, out of the reach of cats
Make a platform from four flat pieces of wood, or by fixing a sawdust and cement or papier-mache cup to a wooden backing plate.
Put a plastic bag below the nest to catch droppings
Block off sites where you dont want the birds to nest, for example by attaching polythene to a beam, then to the roof and back to the beam again
If the weather becomes very hot, place an old carpet or blanket on the outside of the roof above the nest and soak with water regularly. Just a couple of buckets of bathwater on such fabric will take several hours to dry and helps keep the temperature down inside.

Legal status

Swallows and their nests are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird. It is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the eggs, young or nest of a swallow whilst it is being built or in use.

The Act allows for fines or prison sentences for every bird, egg or nest destroyed.

Migration

European swallows spend the winter in Africa south of the Sahara, in Arabia and in the Indian sub-continent.

British swallows spend their winter in South Africa: they travel through western France, across the Pyrenees, down eastern Spain into Morocco, and across the Sahara. Some birds follow the west coast of Africa avoiding the Sahara, and other European swallows travel further east and down the Nile Valley. Swallows put on little weight before migrating.

They migrate by day at low altitudes and find food on the way. Despite accumulating some fat reserves before crossing large areas such as the Sahara Desert, they are vulnerable to starvation during these crossings. Migration is a hazardous time and many birds die from starvation, exhaustion and in storms.

Migrating swallows cover 200 miles a day, mainly during daylight, at speeds of 17-22 miles per hour. The maximum flight speed is 35 mph.

In their wintering areas swallows feed in small flocks, which join together to form roosting flocks of thousands of birds. Swallows arrive in the UK in April and May, returning to their wintering grounds in September and October.

Population trends

They require rain for wet mud for nest building and for encouraging the abundance of insect prey. Cold periods and prolonged rain during the breeding season can, however, reduce the numbers of flying insects and lead to high levels of chick starvation.

Independent of weather-related fluctuations, there have been widespread declines in swallow numbers across Europe since 1970. The cause(s) of these declines is unknown but potential factors are discussed below.

Climatic changes in the swallows' African winter quarters and on migration routes may be having a serious impact. Research has shown that swallows are returning to their breeding areas in poor condition and are laying fewer eggs than previously.
Adverse climatic conditions in Europe may also be having a detrimental effect. Cold springs with late frosts can cause problems for swallows, as do exceptioanlly hot and dry summers. In the latter case, pools dry out, reducing the numbers of emerging insects, and nestlings die from heat exhaustion and dehydration. The expansion of the Sahara desert may be making this formidable barrier increasingly difficult for swallows to cross.
Changes in farming practices throughout Europe may be reducing the numbers of nest sites and the quantity of flying insects. Swallows like to forage over grazed pastures, and the loss of cattle grazing has negatively affected swallows in some regions of Europe.

Predators and parasites

Few predators are agile enough to catch a swallow although hobbies and sparrowhawks are sometimes able to take swallows in flight. Swallows can often be seen mobbing birds of prey, crows and magpies. They will also mob people, cats and other potential predators which come close to their nest.

Swallows, like all bird species, often carry a number of parasites, but these are harmless to people. In most cases they do not harm the birds, but a substantial infestation can reduce survival and even cause the parents to desert eggs and nestlings.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Haslingden Grane (show map)

Taken on: November 3, 2017

Tags:

barn swallow

Hirundo rustica

lancashire

haslingden grane

birds of rossendale

birds of lancashire

birds of britain

birds of the uk

birds of the united kingdom

birds of haslingden grane

wildlife in rossendale

wildlife in haslingden grane

british birds

british breeding birds

breeding

birds

british wildlife

bird-watching in haslingden grane

wildlife of rossendale

wildlife of lancashire

wildlife of england « less

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Camera: NIKON COOLPIX P900, f/6.3, 1/80 sec, 268mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NIKON COOLPIX P900
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	268mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-1.2 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain down
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	COOLPIX P900 V1.3
Show full info

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