House Martins: where are they?? ? ?

Here, in my barn. With swallows and redstarts.

They recently arrived in our horses field shelter as they do every year. We love seeing them. We have lived in this house for 32 years and every year house martins have built on the north facing gable end until about 5 years ago then they suddenly stopped. They arrive and circle around for a few evenings and one year they started to build then gave up. I even put down trays of mud for them!! no idea what we have done to offend them.

I'm in the NE. There were house martins outside an old school building I was in on Wednesday. They were having baths in a large puddle just outside the window.
I wonder if they are moving North?

Swallows arrived here (NE Durham) two or three weeks ago, but I still don't have any. We used to get a few nesting pairs in our outbuildings. I think I've been abandoned...😭

Oopsadaisy1

We have been watching them this morning, we are in South Wales.

I’m in mid Wales, today is obviously the day here!

Near the salt marshes, yes.

We have been watching them this morning, we are in South Wales.

Germanshepherdsmum

We’ve had them in north Norfolk for three weeks now.

Are you near any wetlands, apparently they go there to feed before returning to their nesting sites? I’m in the west in the mountains, so we probably get them later.

We’ve had them in north Norfolk for three weeks now.

2023 alert- I’m in the garden having a coffee, and my house martins have just arrived this morning - summer is definitely on the way.

Well, as you know Yammy, I’m in the middle, so I’m holding out hope for you.
As someone suggested, they may be moving up the country.

We usually get them in the barns behind us but have not seen them for a couple of years. Bats at night time are rare now. My DD who lives much further south had them flying at dusk a month or so ago.
I do hope ours come back could it be to do with the insecticides the farmers use on the fields? They were muck spreading last week and we have loads of nasty dirty blue bottles.

I’ve not seen as many yet this year.

As they depend on insects, we should all get planting and allow the wild flowers to flourish.
If you’ve not got a lot of space, even a planted trough of wildflower mix helps.

♥️ They Are Here! Hurray! ♥️

Than you Shelflife, I am still hopeful.
Three days? That does give me hope.
Yes, they roost above my bedroom window too, and their little conversations, especially at night, are utterly adorable

Fanny I do hope your house martins arrive soon, I think they will. Ours have bet here about 3 days now and are very busy! I am delighted when I have my first sighting if them , love their chatter above the bedroom window.

I have them in the eaves just above my bedroom window at the front of my house
They come back every year and they chitter chatter most of the night. I love to hear them when I go to bed in the early hours and if I get up to use the loo.

I am at this moment in time watching them swoop back and forth to the nests (we have 2) They must have arrived stealth like as I never heard them re buidling the nests. Normally I can hear the blobs of mud dropping on the conservatory roof.

North Lancashire here.

We live in a very long road of thirties , gabled house…… we’re at the ‘modern development’ end , by which I mean they were built in the 70’s. Our Road abounds with house martins and when you walk the length of it , they are chittering and chattering , back and forth above our heads….. all their nests are in the eaves…. and they seem to cross cross the road too to bottom. Very pleasing.!

One of our neighbours cut a hole in the top of his shed door so that the swallows could get in to nest. I was speaking to another neighbour the other day and she said that, when her husband sees that the swallows are back, he leaves the shed door open for them.

I’m in Wales, and we have two nests on the house. I’ve taken a very inadequate picture of one just now, if you zoom in you can see one of the parents on food delivery. They disappeared from us for two years after the volcano eruptions in 2014, but they seem to be in slow recovery round here, my neighbours have nests too.

I'm in the NE too. I lived in my house for twenty years, and we had swallows nesting in the coal house, plus the barn owl. Sadly I had to sell and I can see the new owner has the door closed. Very sad.

I've noticed a lack of house martin nests in our village street, the pavement at one spot used to be littered with droppings, none this year.

Septimia oh that’s excellent.
A happy story at last ?

I'm in the North East. We used to have several house martin nests in use under our eaves - in fact, one came down in a storm one year and DH built a platform to put up and popped the chicks back in; they fledged successfully.

Then, for several years we saw them flying around but the didn't seem to be as many and none nested with us. Last year they built a nest above our window again and this year they've added an extension. We're very happy they're back, despite the mess!

It is. It’s absolutely awful.
I don’t think that things bode well at all