No swallows to make a summer (From The Northern Echo)

No swallows to make a summer

12:33pm Friday 26th June 2009 in Search

THERE has been recent press coverage about the drop in numbers of swifts breeding in the UK, and even though anecdotal evidence can often be misleading, there does seem to be considerably fewer swifts feeding around the nature reserve at Rainton Meadows this year than last.

The same can be said for swallows, and this year Wildlife Trust buildings that have had swallows nesting in or on them for as many years as anyone can remember are deserted.

Has anyone else noticed that the usual swallows have not returned to nest at their house or farm?

It would be interesting to see if it is a general phenomenon or an isolated occurrence, as one of the most cited reasons for the decline of swifts and swallows, namely loss of nest sites when buildings are renovated, is not valid in this case.

The swallow nests at the Low Barns nature reserve are still in place, and there is free access in and out of the building as always, just no swallows.

Given the long-distance migrations that swifts and swallows undertake, there is great potential for disaster to befall individual birds or whole flocks, be it dust storms across the Sahara or winds blowing them out to sea.

On top of adverse meteorology, there are the usual predators to be avoided, and no-one knows how a changing climate might disrupt animal migration patterns.

Perhaps it is more surprising that our swallows return year on year, but that doesn’t make the loss less keenly felt.