Friday, July 8, 2022

A Handful Of Martins

After the windswept week it was Friday before our second visit of the season to the small House Martin colony near the village of Dunsop Bridge, Forest of Bowland. The last visit here was 7 June 2022 when we caught 11 adult House Martins, the objective today being to catch more adults together with juveniles of the year. 

Andy picked me up at 0600 in his mobile ringing office and me met up with Will about 55 minutes later at the low office building that sits alongside the River Dunsop. 

"Click the pics for full size images."

The great majority of House Martins build their nests under the eaves of houses, (and other low buildings, as here in Bowland) but a few colonies can still be found on cliffs. The famous Malham Cove just over the hills into the White Rose county of Yorkshire and about 20 miles away from Dunsop is one such example - or it was the last time I was there several years ago. With the population decline of House Martins I suspect that the species has gone from that site, as it has from so many others. 

Malham Cove, Yorkshire
 
The House Martin is one of the most widespread birds in Europe, occurring from the Mediterranean all the way north to the Arctic. They are rare breeders in Iceland. Though almost all Europe’s House Martins go a long way south for the winter, a few remain in southern Spain and Portugal throughout the year. 

It is possible to attract new House Martin colonies by erecting boxes in suitable sites (as here), but beware House Sparrows will often take over martin nests, frequently ousting the rightful owners. 

Around 86% of House Martins nesting in Britain attempt to rear two broods. Though the same pair will usually remain together for a single breeding season, it is rare for the two to pair again the following year, even if both survive. A House Martin diet is almost exclusively flying insects, caught on the wing. House Martins typically feed at a higher altitude than Swallows, so the two species do not compete with each other. The House Martin’s furry legs of tiny feathers are thought to be an adaptation to protect the birds from the cooler air of higher altitudes. 
 
House Martin

We’d set off from the coast into Friday morning into a fine morning with zero wind. Upon arrival at the upland site we were greeted by low cloud with a cool, stiff and sometimes swirling wind around the building. Such conditions are far from ideal in which to catch keen-eyed martins but after the long drive we persevered. 

Five birds caught, 2 adult House Martins recaptured from 7 June, 2 new adult House Martins and a Pied Wagtail. Rather surprisingly we caught no juvenile House Martins of the year, although it soon became clear that adults going under the eaves were in the process of feeding youngsters still in the nest.  

House Martin
 
Pied Wagtail

We’ll leave it for a week or two then try to find an ideal weather morning when we hope to see more House Martins on the wing. 

This morning saw a selection of raptors in Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Merlin and Buzzard. 

Into the stiff headwind a Common Buzzard soared around as normal but also “hovered", much like a Kestrel does. It’s relatively uncommon to see Common Buzzards perform this type of hover, and it rarely lasts for more than a few seconds at a time, unlike a Kestrel that can be stationary in the air for minutes at a time. The most likely time to see a Buzzard 'hovering' is when there's a headwind that they can use that makes them appear fixed or barely moving in the air.  It seems that some individuals develop more of a habit of doing it than others. 

Common Buzzard
 
Other birds seen - 3 Pied Wagtail, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Red Grouse, 2 Meadow Pipit.

Meadow Pipit
 
Linking this weekend to  Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Ireland.

I think next week will see an improvement in the weather and more visits to the Great Outdoors. 

Log in then to see news, views and photos from Another Bird Blog.

 


16 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Phil,
The view of the cliffs Malahm Cove is beautiful. Great captures of the House Martin, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and the hovering Buzzard. I hope your weather cooperates on your next outing. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your weekend.

Anu said...

Hello.
Thanks for this interesting post.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The photo of the cliffs is beautiful! So green and lush there. I like that pretty Pipit too. We have been out some but it is very hot here right now so I'm stuck inside more. Enjoy your weekend! Happy birding!

Yvonne said...

A bit early for the youngsters, I guess. I do love your beautiful photographs, and the lovely area you go birding in. May you have better luck with banding a few weeks from now.

Anni said...

Hopefully a return trip will have you ringing the juveniles. Pretty country! And, Phil, thanks so much for IDing the jackdaw for me. Very helpful.

Thank you for choosing to participate at I'd Rather B Birdin' this weekend!!

Shiju Sugunan said...

Another interesting post, loved it!

Breathtaking said...

Hello Phil, :=) Beautiful pictures of all the birds but to be honest I hardly recognised the first bird as being a young House Martin.It probably is a little too early for you to capture the youngsters, as the House Martins are still feeding their young. If you make anther journey to this beautiful location in a weeks time you may have better luck.
All the best.

Rhodesia said...

Interesting post. I have never seen a Buzzard hover I must say. We see them often here (and hear them calling) but never hovering, I must watch more carefully.
I am struggling to keep any blogs going at present, so have decided meanwhile to add my bird photos to my diary blog. I hope that you might visit me there.
Take care and enjoy the warmer weather, Diane

Linda said...

Sweet creatures! Thank you for sharing.

Rostrose said...

Dear Phil,
fascinating, the furry legs of the House Martins, it's gratifying for me to learn such things. The area where you did your bird watching is beautiful. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you have better success next time!
All the best and have a good time
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/07/mallorca-reisebericht-teil-1-tag-1-bis.html

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

I don't think house martins live in the US but they look like nice birds. Seeing a colony on cliffs would be wonderful!

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

That is a wonderful image of the magnificent cliffs. I hope some of the House Martins will still be there next time you visit. It is interesting to learn about how they forage in the higher altitudes and do not compete with the swallows.

NCSue said...

I live in a pretty heavily wooded area so don't see martins. Glad to see yours, though!
Thank you for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2022/07/a-few-things-blooming-around-homeplace.html

Veronica Lee said...

Beautiful captures of the birds, Phil. And the cliffs too.

Happy Tuesday!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Nice photos. I would have that the buzzard was an eagle soaring in the sky! Ha ha ..

Rostrose said...

Dear Phil,
Thanks for your comment on my blog! I've also heard that Menorca is quieter than Mallorca. For me, both islands were originally not interesting as a travel destination because they are so touristy and because I'm not interested in beach holidays. I probably would never have come there without our friends' request, not even to go hiking, because we also have lots of wonderful hiking opportunities in Austria ;-). You wrote Greece is your favourite. I've only been to Crete for 2 weeks so far and during short visits I got to know Corfu, Santorini and Mykonos - I also found these places all very touristy and a blog friend told me that Thassos is also very crowded. Apparently you've found a few more places that aren't so full of tourists...(?)
Have a nice weekend!
All the best
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/07/mallorca-reisebericht-teil-2-tag-4-bis.html

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