Swallow's nest came unstuck

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Margaid

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Just before lunch yesterday I noticed that one of the swallows' nest was lying smashed on the ground with 5 fledglings apparently dead, although one of them seemed to be twitching a little. About 20 minutes later I went to see whether it too was dead and found 4 out of the 5 moving their wings feebly. Panic set in, but I grabbed a step ladder to see if I could put them in the other nest - except that it was occupied by something warm and feathery! Found a 4 or 5 inch flowerpot lying around, a couple of handfuls of shavings and the feathers I could salvage from the smashed nest and carefully put the four live ones into the pot. The fifth was not moving at all and it's head flopped about just like the dead hen so I assumed it was dead. OH wired it to a rainwater downpipe about a foot below the existing site. The adult birds have been seen near the improvised nest so I'm hoping at least some of them have survived. The nest had dropped over 8 feet onto the concrete so I was surprised that any of them survived.

I have resisted the temptation to look in the flowerpot today, but may have a peep tomorrow. I suspect the mud they use was fairly dry to start with and the intense heat, coupled with the fact that it is on a wooden building which will tend to draw moisture out of the mud, has obviously dried it out so much that it would no longer stick.. The other nest is on top of the external telephone sounder (much to OH's annoyance) but it means it was supported from below. On top of the loss of my Welsummers, I can't bear to think the swallows have put so much effort into raising the brood and then losing them all.

I'll update once I've plucked up the courage to look!
 
What a heart warming account. Well done you! I can remember seeing a nest that had fallen from a neighbours property a couple of years ago and feeling really sad at the waste of such young lives.
I hope you've got good news for us when you have a peep in. You could do with a periscope or a mirror attached to a pole so you can keep an eye on them.
 
A very noble thing to do Margaid. Think most on this particular forum would have reacted in a similar manner -not so sure about other forums.

To amuse you all Rosie saw her first snake today. It appeared from nowhere to grab a lizard. About 2' long it was (the snake, lizards are 6"). Now our chickens have been going berserk for no apparent reason in their runs and now we know why. We've filled all the holes in the ground that just appear overnight and what do you know -silence!
 
Well there is definitely one baby still alive, not sure how many more. Our workman saw a little beak appear over the rim of the flowerpot when one of the adults perched on it earlier today. The adult birds go frantic if we go anywhere near it - within about 10 feet that is which can't be avoided. I braved their wrath and had a quick peep in this evening and there was definitely one little bird breathing, but it wasn't possible to see the others properly as they were all huddle up together. I don't know whether the parents would throw out any that were dead, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the others are OK.
 
Finally plucked up courage to look in the flowerpot this afternoon. I've been putting it off because I've been dreading what I'd find.

AN EMPTY NEST!!!! :D :D :D

There's absolutely nothing in there but the shavings so it looks as though they all survived long enough to leave the nest. It's great to find something good for a change.
 
Well done Margaid. A fantastic result thanks to your intervention. 0:-)
 
Lovely to think they will be flying thousands of miles soon, on migration.
If yo leave the flowerpot in place, maybe they will use it again next year. They always return to the same place and the same nest. Some years ago n old tumbledown chicken farm opposite us was bulldozed over the winter, in preparation for building houses, and next Spring the air was full of distressed swallows with nowhere to go.
 
Really good news! :-)08

Our first brood have fledged and now mum is on brood number two! :D Funny really always feel a bit sad when the swallows go as leaving heralds the start of autumn and the end of summer.....
 
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