I've lived in Paignton since 2004, a few minutes from the beach, not far from the zoo. One of the things that clinched the deal on the house was the cloud of House Martins round it when we viewed it that summer. There are nests on most of the neighbouring houses. I've kept a record of sightings of the first arrivals since then, ranging from 12 - 28 April. The dates for them taking up residence would be a bit later. In January last year our nest collapsed and wasn't rebuilt and there were fewer Martins about, and they seemed to leave earlier than usual (I don't have a record of departures). This year, I saw 3 over the zoo on 12 April, and 3 nearby a couple of weeks ago, but since then I have seen none at all. It is now 15 May. Some Swifts buzzed the house two days ago - they are usually the last to arrive - and there are plenty of Swallows nest-building at the zoo as usual. So my questions are - has anyone else in the UK noticed their absence, and does anyone know what's caused it?
Not yet seen any house martins here in a semi-rural setting outside Swansea . There were few around last year and they have certainly declined in recent years . There do seem to be a few more swallows around than last year , which was very quiet early but with some successful late broods .
My girlfriend's house out in the Northumberland countryside has two pairs of house martins which are yearly breeders; one has certainly returned this year, and we think we have seen the second pair - or possibly a new pair - working on a new nest.
We had them nest on our newly built house a few years ago, but wrens used it in the winter and the nest collapsed., they never came back. I too have seen plenty swallows but no house martins this year.
Seen a number of house martins around in Essex (none nest on our house, although a pair did prospect there for a brief period) while in Cambridge there are masses (30-40+) most evenings; a couple of nights in a row there were half-a-dozen hobbies chasing them too.
Good and bad news so far then. I won't give up hope just yet. These little birds are so symbolic of the changing of our seasons. They raise your spirits when they arrive and sadden you a little when they leave.
