Nature Dairy with LB Loxley

Now that April has arrived we can expect to hear the delightful twittering call of the swallow once more, having ended their 6,000 mile journey from South Africa – a journey that takes them about six weeks to complete. Their long forked tail and red throat are the distinguishing features that tell them apart from their close relatives the house martins.

Swallows build their cup-shaped nests on ledges in barns and other outbuildings. The nest is built of mud and straw, stuck together with the bird’s saliva, and lined with grass and feathers. The female lays between three and eight white eggs with reddy brown spots. Swallows usually return to the same nest site each year, and once they have started breeding, the pair will stay together for life.

The chicks hatch after 14 to 16 days and are fed by both parents on insects caught in flight. After 18 to 23 days, the young are ready to leave the nest, but the parents continue to feed them for some time. They normally have two broods in a season, but sometimes have a third.

Come early autumn, swallows start preparing for the long journey back to Africa and can often be seen gathering in large groups along telegraph wires. As their departure signals the approach of colder weather, so their return hints at warmer days ahead. And while the arrival of one swallow may not make a summer, it certainly warms the heart of this bird watcher.