Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all! We have been experiencing an issue on site where threads have been missing the latest postings. The platform host Vanilla are working on this issue. A workaround that has been used by some is to navigate back from 1 to 10+ pages to re-sync the thread and this will then show the latest posts. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Swallows in 2010 Arrivals, nesting and departures

24

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Still no Swifts yet here in DG/Enniscorthy but the odd one has been turning up around the country on www.irishbirding.com - for me the screaming call of Swifts is the real sign that summer has finally arrived.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 424 ✭✭stevensi


    I had 3 swifts today over Inchicore in Dublin 8 this morning.


  • Registered Users Posts: 193 ✭✭Guramoogah


    I saw three or four swifts in Tramore, Co Waterford last evening (29th April). Now, bring on the summer!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Just heard first Swift here in Enniscorthy. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 18 Tarsna


    No sign of my Swallows who bed last year in my garage...:(


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    Tarsna wrote: »
    No sign of my Swallows who bed last year in my garage...:(
    Hang in there, mine were even later last year


  • Registered Users Posts: 18 Tarsna


    Oh I do hope so

    It was a lovely sight to see all six sitting on the beam together.....and the site is a very safe one


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭homolumo


    Tarsna wrote: »
    Oh I do hope so

    It was a lovely sight to see all six sitting on the beam together.....and the site is a very safe one

    tis class alright, will always remember having a sneaky peak in the shed and seeing all these little heads staring back at me from the edge of the nest. fingers crossed for you though. 'my' pair have become very busy in the last few days, nest building must be at full speed


  • Registered Users Posts: 18 Tarsna


    My Swallows are back......lets hope they start nesting soon


    Has anyone else got theres nesting yet?


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    Tarsna wrote: »
    My Swallows are back......lets hope they start nesting soon


    Has anyone else got theres nesting yet?
    Great news :)

    Not sure if mine have eggs yet.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18 Tarsna


    lol.....now your trying to make me jelous:D

    Id like to go out with my camera taking photos of seabirds and waders..........but im from Tipperary....can anyone tell me of a good place to get photo chances....nearish to Tipp


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    Tarsna wrote: »
    My Swallows are back......lets hope they start nesting soon


    Has anyone else got theres nesting yet?

    I thought mine were back but they appear to be locals rather than my previous residents. I'm a bit worried for them now. Getting late.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    E39MSport wrote: »
    I thought mine were back but they appear to be locals rather than my previous residents. I'm a bit worried for them now. Getting late.

    Honestly confused here :)

    What do you mean by "locals"?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    Honestly confused here :)

    What do you mean by "locals"?

    The one's from my nearest neighbour :D

    He has a barn and I notice them entering and leaving it. I know their usual hunting flightpath. In fact, I can nearly identify individuals/couples based on the repeated flight paths they make.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Aaaah! I thought you had found some that didn't migrate!:p

    Thanks for explaining to a poor simpleton.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,385 ✭✭✭ThunderCat


    Saw 7 or 8 Swallows/Swifts catching flys and midgees etc. off the surface of a pond the other evening. They have it down to a tee and im sure they were having great sucess even though my eyes wernt quick enough to follow them properly. The agility they have to turn sharply at the waters edge to turn around and have another go is astonishing. Lovely to watch. They were tiny by the way - Is it possible that the new batch of swallows/swifts are fledged already or was that the adults that I saw?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    At this time of year it would still be mostly adults. Just a general note: newly fledged birds are not normally much smaller than adults.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    Mine finally came back over the weekend :)

    Very, very happy to see them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    Last year put up nest boxes in my garden shed. Sawed a bit of the door off so they could get in. But unfortunately my cat scared them off. Put up cut gorse bushes around the door and on door so cat can't get in this year. No swallows have taken to it yet.. Any swallow experts know whether it's too late for any swallows to take up residence:confused:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,700 ✭✭✭Mountainsandh


    Hi Tarnsa, don't know about Waders and seabirds specifically, but you know there's a great "reserve" in Clonmel, Knocklofty ? Pretty lake, swans and ducks and other protected species there. Take the turn right across from the new Park Hotel, going towards St Patrick's well. Lake is second turn on the left.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    Last year put up nest boxes in my garden shed. Sawed a bit of the door off so they could get in. But unfortunately my cat scared them off. Put up cut gorse bushes around the door and on door so cat can't get in this year. No swallows have taken to it yet.. Any swallow experts know whether it's too late for any swallows to take up residence:confused:

    No expert but I'd say your in with a chance. I saw plenty of swallows this morning checking out sites in a wood shed where I'm currently staying.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Last year put up nest boxes in my garden shed. Sawed a bit of the door off so they could get in. But unfortunately my cat scared them off. Put up cut gorse bushes around the door and on door so cat can't get in this year. No swallows have taken to it yet.. Any swallow experts know whether it's too late for any swallows to take up residence:confused:

    Plenty of time yet!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭homolumo


    For the last two weeks the swallows have been congregating around the house and garden. Numbers seem to be growing, started off with around 12 now up to about 30-40. A great sight seeing them flying around in such numbers. I thought it would be too early to be gathering together. This is the first year that this has happened but maybe it is because there are no nesting swallows in our shed this year (thanks to our cat I think)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    During the past hour a steady stream of groups of swallows heading south.
    Counted about 850 in all (my counting could be very suspect)
    No martins seen or heard though I wasn't using bins


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 701 ✭✭✭Morganna


    havent seen any swallows here for the last two days.Three days ago a good few.To early yet for them to go,at least a month to early.....Will look again see if they around....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    Another group of about 80 moving south...
    I've never observed such a movement before. To qualify this, I'm not a birdwatcher so have not put myself in position to observe such movements/migrations.

    And Morganna, Swallows are leaving, but some are still nesting and hence will be plenty around for most of September


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,138 ✭✭✭snaps


    Same here, there are barely any around these last few days!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,342 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    San Juan Capistrano swallows are black with white breasts.
    cliff-swallow-758556.jpg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    San Juan Capistrano swallows are black with white breasts.
    cliff-swallow-758556.jpg
    Different species of swallow.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,146 ✭✭✭StephenHendry


    we've a swallows nest at home , they are above our hall door. delighted to have them, we have house martins nesting at the eave of our roof as well but its the first time we've had the swallows :D


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 701 ✭✭✭Morganna


    The swallows are here today...a good few of them flying round and calling to each other ,delighted to see them,they had there first brood sometime ago,didnt see any for two days and today they back.....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,138 ✭✭✭snaps


    Morganna wrote: »
    The swallows are here today...a good few of them flying round and calling to each other ,delighted to see them,they had there first brood sometime ago,didnt see any for two days and today they back.....

    Possibly swallows/birds heading south?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,458 ✭✭✭ppink


    most of the swallows here are gone already! there are only 6 left this evening, with about 50+ gone.
    do they usually go this early?
    is there anywhere online to track their migration?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 328 ✭✭mgwhelan


    there's still a nest with chicks on our farm, is'nt it a bit late for them to be strong enough to head back to africa


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    hundreds over and on my house at the moment ,its sad to see them go .the moon is full so go they must .


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 701 ✭✭✭Morganna


    there where a good few here today,they dont usually leave till mid september do they ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 692 ✭✭✭Durnish


    New swallow fledglings in the barn yesterday. Magpies waiting outside. Earlier this month there were a lot of young swallows flying about but seem to be gone now.

    Here's the question, do they go back to Africa with a parent? Is there a continuous line of swallows whose ancestral booleying grounds are in Portnoo and whose winter quarters are somewhere specific in sub Saharan Africa?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    I've been seeing huge numbers of them about these fine days.

    They congregate on phone lines then take off and feed/play for a bit then back to the wires.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,138 ✭✭✭snaps


    yes they still seem to be around, perhaps the ones with young?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    snaps wrote: »
    yes they still seem to be around, perhaps the ones with young?

    Yeah - majority are young birds around me. They are very playful on the wing. A joy to watch.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 719 ✭✭✭V Bull


    Yep, same here in North Wicklow area, very playfull..

    IMG_6050.JPG

    IMG_6051.JPG


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    There is no migration yet. Large numbers of Swallows all across the country. They are flocking certainly, now that breeding is over. They are also certainly stocking up before leaving, but not going yet. Also, none of them are "playing". They are feeding and finding their place in the flock.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 68,370 Mod ✭✭✭✭Grid.


    I have a nest of them in my garage and they are constantly wizzing around the back garden all day long.....great to see them back again and its lovely to hear the chirping of the chicks when they are feeding!:D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭E39MSport


    There is no migration yet. Large numbers of Swallows all across the country. They are flocking certainly, now that breeding is over. They are also certainly stocking up before leaving, but not going yet. Also, none of them are "playing". They are feeding and finding their place in the flock.

    Won't even attempt to contradict you Daisy Better Ballistics ;)

    When the young birds are chasing each other nose to tail .... that's a way of establishing themselves in the flock?

    It's very nice to watch. Not wishing to anthropomorphise them but as a human I get a sense of joy and playfulness all the same. Maybe its a desire on my part...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 889 ✭✭✭stop


    Whenever I walk across a field near work, one or two of them fly across my path, or around me at distances from 3~10m for the entire time it takes me to cross the field - noticed them doing it to others too. Any reason for this, or is it just 'playing'?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 424 ✭✭stevensi


    More than likely they are feeding of any flies or insects that you are disturbing while walking through the field....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Sevensi has it covered perfectly. They are after flies you disturb when crossing the field.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    E39MSport wrote: »
    Not wishing to anthropomorphise them but as a human I get a sense of joy and playfulness all the same. Maybe its a desire on my part...

    Let's settle for it being a learning process (flight, feeding, interaction, etc)rather than playing. :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 692 ✭✭✭Durnish


    on the Dawros peninsula the swallows have developed a strategy of following cars down the single-lane green middled roads. They swoop and dive, presumably catching the insects that the cars disturb. It can be quite dramatic, driving up a narrow, tree-lined back road with swallows playing chicken, in front and behind.
    I wonder if they do this elsewhere.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Yes, they do.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement