Second Brood

[janjones]

After finally being able to get out in the garden to feed the tomatoes after endless days of rain, I discover mummy swallow back in the nest. I'd cleaned out awhile back after the babies left the nest, piling things onto the table and hosed it all down so should be less cleaning up to do, just hose down when they've gone.
Jan

[oldherbaceous]

That’s brilliant news, Jan and will help to boost their numbers….

[Primrose]

Hope you see a second brood althiugh miserable August weather forecast may mean fewer insects to feed them before their long migration flights. . Your neck of the woods seems to be getting more than its fair share of rain recently.

[janjones]

Hello Primrose, We had about 5 or 6 weeks of no rain during our 'summer' in June and now just the odd dry day. This week it's rain everyday, on a positive, no watering but also not so easy for me to get out. We are in the country, surrounded by fields and hills, mountains and also a river next to the village and of course Bala lake a few miles away. We had 3 buzzards living close by since I moved here 16 yrs ago but no sign of them this year and I did see a red kite so maybe why they've moved out.
I've been reading up on swallows and am fascinated, they sleep in flight and can travel 200 miles a day and it's also very rare for them to land.
Jan

[Primrose]

Jan, you,re so lucky to have your swallows under close observation. Over the many years living here our village has seen a rapid decline in the number of swifts and swallows arriving, partly because of a lot more modern house building which makes no provision for their nest building. The screeching sound of their arrival in the sky every spring is very diminished now sadly.

i hardly regard it as a positive that we now see more red kites than blackbirds flying in our local skies. They seem to have bred so successfully they're almost at pest level and I wonder how they all find enough food. Some are getting very brave - or desperate. Their eyesight is fantastic. A while back an acquaintance of ours actually had a cooking steak grabbed from his barbeque. The kite swooped down, snatched it and flew off so quickly he was in total disbelief thst it had happened!

[janjones]

Primrose, I am with you regarding the red kite. The buzzards were a sight to see, the blackbirds (who have gone too, now that I think of it) would chase the buzzards away from their nests but overall they have lived together for the past 16 yrs, now all appear to have gone. My sister who lives on Anglesey lost her bengal cat to a red kite last year, it had ripped his stomach open.
Jan

[Primrose]

How devasting about the cat. We heard of a not dissimilar case round here recently. Apparently the kites find the average cst too heavy to pick up and carry far. They drop it and in its stunned state it,s is often then vulnerable to a fatal attack. If I were sn owner of chicken ranging freely i''d be very wary of them, especially when ai see half a dozen of them circling around in the sky. We get a fair amount of road kill in the country lanes round here and you,ll often find a kite in the road feasting on it.

[janjones]

Hello Primrose, I heard a lot of 'shouting' from the swallows so went to investigate. There were about 20 swallows flying around, I'm sure they all didn't come from my shed. I also saw 4 red kites on the hill, so the buzzards have moved out after all. Mum was still in the nest and surprisingly dad landed on my washing line, about 4 ft from me, we had a little chat, I make a smoochy sound whenever I am near them, I think he recognized the sound and happily sat there watching me until I had to go inside as it had started to rain again.
Jan

[Primrose]

How nice that it seemed to recognise you.

I'm wondering whether the kites, if hungry would attack the swallows. Normally I think they prefer dead prey but if hungry would probably attack anything.

[janjones]

we have a large hill/mini mountain at the back of the village, covered in trees and I know the crows nest in the trees. I've heard an owl and woodpecker in the trees too.
I haven't seen the red kites today, I have been watching out for them and so far only the 1 swallow, the male I think because mum is sitting on the eggs and not leaving the shed for the last few days.
Usually around 8pm the first 2 chicks appear and enter the shed, only to be chased out by the male. You can't miss them from all the squawking.
The kites don't come too close to the houses, we are surrounded by fields and so few cats in the village, lots of rats and mice for them.
Jan

[robo]

We had a case in Spain where cats were in danger of eagles these were snake eagles occasionally you would see them flying with what appeared to be apiece of rope hanging from its claws but if it came close you could see it was a snake one flew over one Easter very Lowe about 30 feet above us they where ugly buggers

[janjones]

I am pleased to say brood number 2 also produced 2 chicks which left the nest just over a week ago and mum is sitting on her 3rd clutch of eggs. I think I may have to move my gardening tools and paraphernalia out of the shed for next year if I want to get gardening and let the swallows nest.
Jan

[oldherbaceous]

Hopefully we will get a long Summer, so the third brood can build themselves up ready for their flight back!
A lovely topic you started here, Jan, so thank you.

[janjones]

Thank you OH, I do hope they come back next year and remember where they are welcome. I will try and get some more photo's before they leave for Africa.
Jan