The fourth best band in Hull?

[British Red]

Well, today we were tidying up one of the more dilapidated of barns - its a nest site for swallows and house martins. The last batch fledged a few days ago...so we had the fun job of clearing up loads of swallow sh**.

Anyway, anyone in Lincs can tell you the wind got up a bit today...enough to bring down a 20' ash limb in my garden. We persevered though - watching the last of the swallows, swifts and martins fight the wind and eventually give up.

Then I looked up - and I figured out where one family had gone!

Think they are house martins, but its hard to tell without seeing the tails

Red

 

[Retired Member southey]

Thats worth a caption comp, there faces are cracking.

 

[wattsy]

the wind did get up a bit i figured it'd be a cracking day for a power kite then promptly got dragged 30 odd feet. not a happy bunny.

 

[robin wood]

Swallows actually but very cute.

 

[British Red]

Thanks Robin. Both nest in that particular barn and I'm rubbish at telling them apart when they are perched

 

[robin wood]

Martins are completely black (or very dark blue) and white. With your chaps we can see the red above and below beak characteristic of swallow.
These are martins

It's also typical of swallows to hang around the nest as a group like this where martins once fledged tend to be on the wing or perching on phone lines. Very unusual for martins to next in a barn, I think of swallows as country/farm birds (barn swallow) whilst martins tend to be under the eaves of houses (house martin).

 

[British Red]

Aah - the barn has broken windows and is next to a completely ruined one so I suspect they see it as an "extension" .

We get all three round here on the wing (including swifts), but I don't think I have seen a swifts nest anywhere - any insight on where to look for them?