Have not seen the swallows for a few days now so I think that they have migrated south. They lined up on the wires last weekend. I think this is two pairs, each with two young.
This year we have only had two nests and maybe four young fledged. This is a big change from 15 years ago when we had 5 or 6 nests each with sometimes two broods in a year. It may just be local variation, but I worry that the declining insect numbers are to blame. The Insect Armageddon is plain to see every time I look at the clean car windscreen after a summer drive. It did not used to be this way, widespread use of pesticides in farming is the most likely cause. Our wildflower meadow is just not large enough to mitigate the effects of the surrounding industrial farmlands. For the last two springs our masonry bee hives have died off overnight the day the surrounding field was sprayed, probably as the bees range over a larger area than just the wildflower meadow.
It is amazing to think that these swallows will be in Southern Africa in 4 weeks time. Not a bad place to spend the winter!
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