Swallows abandoned eggs/nest?

daisybelle2008

Swallows built a nest beside my front door on a metal alarm box. Not a great spot, it is very low and in a busy shared porch (apt block). However they built the nest grand, laid 4 speckled eggs, but seem to have gone AWOL. No sign for last week and a half maybe 2, It is the first time to nest in that spot. Why would they disappear like that?

Mod Edit: Picture removed - no pictures of eggs or nest unless licensed!

swifts need our help!

Difficult to know why. Swallows can get used to the coming and going of people. Maybe one was predated? Could someone have reached in to the nest while a bird was incubating?

daisybelle2008

swifts need our help! wrote: »

Difficult to know why. Swallows can get used to the coming and going of people. Maybe one was predated? Could someone have reached in to the nest while a bird was incubating?

It would be easy enough to reach in due to location, but I wouldn't have thought anyone would do that. It is very small private semi-enclosed communal area, small bit of footfall, but also a loud dog in one apt. and a stray cat I have been feeding right underneath, none of this seemed to deter them from building the nest!! A lot of poo on my doorstep but not bothered by that.
Just wondering if there is any chance they'll come back. Is it out of season for babies now? Should the eggs be left or will they attract predators?

celica00

I saw it often this year, that when cats were around, they would go again. maybe they decided to do so midway through cause the cat might have been a threat to them.

daisybelle2008

celica00 wrote: »

I saw it often this year, that when cats were around, they would go again. maybe they decided to do so midway through cause the cat might have been a threat to them.

Maybe, there is no sign of them coming back anyway

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

If they are off the eggs for more than a day you can assume they are abandoned.

daisybelle2008

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

If they are off the eggs for more than a day you can assume they are abandoned.

Well the have come back in the last few days and there is a fifth egg there now and they are actively minding the nest! . Don't know what to make of it. It is almost two weeks since I noticed the abandoned eggs and the nest was quiet well before that.

daisybelle2008

The swallows have just been attacking a magpie above the patio doors (not where the nest is). Heard the loud racquet and two maybe more swooping and aggressively pecking at him. Hope he hasn't interfered with the nest.

dodderangler

Do you really need a licence to photograph a nest? There's a swallow nest with 4 chicks in my job and it's only about 9 foot up in the corner of the garage

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

dodderangler wrote: »

Do you really need a licence to photograph a nest? There's a swallow nest with 4 chicks in my job and it's only about 9 foot up in the corner of the garage

Yes you certainly do need a licence.

dodderangler

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

Yes you certainly do need a licence.

Why is that?

Dan_Solo

dodderangler wrote: »

Why is that?

Hirundo rustica is a protected species according to www.npws.ie and not to be disturbed or photographed.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dan_Solo wrote: »

Hirundo rustica is a protected species according to www.npws.ie and not to be disturbed or photographed.

It applies to ANY nesting birds.

Dan_Solo

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

It applies to ANY nesting birds.

The license you apply for to photograph is "To Photograph or Film a Protected Wild Animal or Bird" (my emphasis). Swallows are on the list anyway, but I don't see any mention of a license to photograph non-protected species there?

Mickeroo

Dan_Solo wrote: »

The license you apply for to photograph is "To Photograph or Film a Protected Wild Animal or Bird" (my emphasis). Swallows are on the list anyway, but I don't see any mention of a license to photograph non-protected species there?

All birds are protected in Ireland as far as I know, so it's any nest by default (I think).

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dan_Solo wrote: »

The license you apply for to photograph is "To Photograph or Film a Protected Wild Animal or Bird" (my emphasis). Swallows are on the list anyway, but I don't see any mention of a license to photograph non-protected species there?

All nesting birds are protected, with very few exceptions

Dan_Solo

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

All nesting birds are protected, with very few exceptions

Fair enough, I just can't find that mentioned anywhere in the legislation, unless you mean most birds species are considered protected.
The wording of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000 all appears to relate to protected birds:

(b) in subsection (9)—

(i) by the insertion, in paragraph (d), of “examine, inspect or” before “take”, and

(ii) by the insertion of the following after paragraph (d):

“(e) to take the eggs of a protected wild bird of a species specified in the licence for the purposes of having them hatched out for repopulation, or re-introduction to the wild or, for such purposes, to move such eggs from the nest of a bird so specified to that of another bird of the same species or for such other purposes as the Minister considers appropriate in the circumstances in respect of the species so specified,

(f) to take or make photographic, video or other pictures of a protected wild bird of a species specified in the licence on or near a nest containing eggs or unflown young,

(g) to have in possession, for a reasonable period of time—

(i) an injured or disabled wild bird, or

(ii) one or more than one dependant young of a wild bird which is orphaned,

with the intention of tending and later releasing such bird or young back into the wild when and only when such bird or young, as the case may be, is no longer injured, disabled or dependant,

(h) to retain possession of a wild bird, that for reasons of disability or for other reasons deemed reasonable by the Minister, would, if released, be unlikely to survive unaided in the wild.”,

daisybelle2008

dodderangler wrote: »

Do you really need a licence to photograph a nest? There's a swallow nest with 4 chicks in my job and it's only about 9 foot up in the corner of the garage

Can you hear the chicks? I haven't heard anything yet.
The nest is only 6ft 10" up and about an inch beside my front door!
They are disturbed every time someone goes in or out mine or the other apts. I am feeding the cat elsewhere as they don't like staying there when he is fed.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dan_Solo wrote: »

Fair enough, I just can't find that mentioned anywhere in the legislation, unless you mean most birds species are considered protected.
The wording of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000 all appears to relate to protected birds:

Yes, all birds, with very few exceptions, are protected in Ireland regardless of nesting. Every species that isn't classed as vermin and isn't in open season is protected.

I dealt with this for years so I know the bottom line is do not photograph birds at nests.

dodderangler

daisybelle2008 wrote: »

Can you hear the chicks? I haven't heard anything yet.
The nest is only 6ft 10" up and about an inch beside my front door!
They are disturbed every time someone goes in or out mine or the other apts. I am feeding the cat elsewhere as they don't like staying there when he is fed.

Havint really heard them but they're in plain sight with their heads poking out an almost like they're smiling

Dan_Solo

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

Yes, all birds, with very few exceptions, are protected in Ireland regardless of nesting. Every species that isn't classed as vermin and isn't in open season is protected.

I dealt with this for years so I know the bottom line is do not photograph birds at nests.

Just for information, could you link to the list of verminous bird species in Ireland?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dan_Solo wrote: »

Just for information, could you link to the list of verminous bird species in Ireland?

I don't think that's appropriate to a Nature and Birdwatching site. Sorry.

Dan_Solo

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

I don't think that's appropriate to a Nature and Birdwatching site. Sorry.

Nature and Bird Watching is no place to discuss the protection status of birds... OK...

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Dan_Solo wrote: »

Nature and Bird Watching is no place to discuss the protection status of birds... OK...

No. I am not listing any bird as vermin. Big difference to a discussion on protection.

For clarity, no bird species is classed as vermin and only a short list may be killed under an EU Derogation if damaging crops

Dan_Solo

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

No. I am not listing any bird as vermin. Big difference to a discussion on protection.

You are saying only vermin are not protected, but whether a bird species is vermin or not has no connection with whether it is protected?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I told you. None are classed as vermin! You omitted that piece from the quote for some reason.

Mickeroo

Dan, as far as I know you can deal with all crows (apart from Choughs & Ravens) and pigeons, provided they are causing damage to a property and you have the permission of the land owner to do so. They're protected outside of those circumstances I think.

Now back to the swallow's nests please, folks can start a more general thread on bird protection if they wish

daisybelle2008

Babies have hatched.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

daisybelle2008 wrote: »

Babies have hatched.

Then they were back at the nest by 4th July at the latest, as incubation is 14 to 16 days. They should fledge in another 17 to 24 days.

daisybelle2008

Ahmad Salty Litter wrote: »

Then they were back at the nest by 4th July at the latest, as incubation is 14 to 16 days. They should fledge in another 17 to 24 days.

Could these be from the original 4 eggs? The nest was no activity for ages.
The nest is so close to my doorway, that I can see comings and going. The minute I come out the door they fly out of the nest and hoover till I pass and fly back in. When I come home they fly out as well.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

daisybelle2008 wrote: »

Could these be from the original 4 eggs? The nest was no activity for ages.
The nest is so close to my doorway, that I can see comings and going. The minute I come out the door they fly out of the nest and hoover till I pass and fly back in. When I come home they fly out as well.

No the eggs would have gone cold. I suspect one was laying low and you just didn't see it.