Between mid April and September you can watch the house martins nesting under the eaves of Alban Roe building . From a distance they look black and white, but close up have lovely inky blue and brown plumage. House martins spend the winter in South Africa returning each summer to build mud nests which usually host one or two broods of chicks.
House martins have suffered severe decline in recent decades and are currently Red Listed using the Birds of Conservation Concern assessment. Here on Alban Roe we left each mud nest intact during the recent renovations to help preserve this precious colony. We hope you enjoy watching their highly maneuverable flight around the estate during the summer months.
We have also provided four double compartment swift nest boxes which you can see high above under the eaves. We hope in time this will allow up to eight pairs to breed. Swifts do not build a mud nest, they nest inside roof spaces or in cavities in masonry. They are supremely adapted to life in the air, feeding, sleeping, drinking, bathing and mating in flight-they only land to nest.
Swifts are larger than house martins and predominantly dark brown in colour with long crescent shaped wings. They are here between May and early August. During this time you may see them performing spectacular formation flights past houses with nest sites. Like house martins they spend the winter in Africa and are Red Listed due to severe population decline.
If you would like to help house martins or swifts in your own area there is information available online at the following organisations.
House Martin Conservation UK-IE Swift Conservation Action for Swifts
