28th May : House Martins

Last year a total of 9 pairs of House Martins bred under the eaves of our house & the adjoining property. This Spring 3 more pairs are busy collecting mud to add to that total, following all the recent rain there should be no shortage of suitable building material. 

As I had to be up early this morning at 6 o'clock, with it been raining overnight & a light drizzle still in the air, thought I would see how the House Martins were copping with the conditions. Pair at the front began build on 25th May as in the above photo, so today in the rain they have themselves a little half cup on which to shelter.

The pair at the rear only began building yesterday, only a tiny amount of mud on the wall, it doesn't appear to be sticking well at the moment, most seems to be on the sill below, so some how this House Martin is having to cling on to the brick work to stay out of the rain.

 

A short video of the House Martins sheltering during the rain.

Don.

Images & Video Copyright : Don Stone.