Edlington – House Martins Summer 2012

I have swallows nesting underneath the eaves outside my bedroom window. They’ve been coming back for about 5 years now. I know some people don’t want them anywhere near their homes but i quite like having them about, it’s certainly not often you get to be so close to any form of bird, and sat on my windowsill, doing my best not to fall out, i’m literally an arms length away from them.

If you look closely you can even make out what the youngsters are being fed……..

A week later i could hear a bit of a commotion outside the window, it appeared that the young had fled the nest but some were returning to remove bits from inside, possibly to build other nests elsewhere…….?

Once the birds had flown the nest it was time for round two! New birds inhabited the nest but I found another set building a nest on the back of my house……

 Unfortunately the House Martins had drawn some probably unwanted attention to themselves while flying in/out all the time, in the form of a local cat. Said cat had taken to clambering onto my porch, via my car roof, to get as close as it possibly could to the birds. Thankfully it wasn’t going to get anywhere near them and wasn’t quick enough to catch one either, although I had to admire its perseverance when I found it having forced my window open so it could perch on the windowsill and stare intently at the nest waiting the next arrival or departure………