A question of house martins

Tuesday 2 June 2020

Dave Steel

David Steel has been recording birds – and other wildlife on the Manchester Mosslands ever since he was a child. Dave knows every nook and cranny, and he sees the area as his own. Dave often leads guided walks on the mosses and his blogs capture his

House martins collecting for nest by Dave Steel

Why were these normally agile airborne hirundines mauling about on that Farmsteads Lawn?

Well day two had decided to pose a question to me as I wandered onto the Moss, my aim being a visit to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve on Little Woolden Moss. As ever with our sweep of magical Greenbelt there is often a conundrum/an observation/a moment to just marvel at the beauty of this area.

Today my pause was brought about as I noted up to 10 house martins dropping to a grassy area and then. after a minute or so. they lifted to the air and skimmed over my head, only to soon return and repeat this performance.

A goldfinch seemed puzzled as to why these usually airborne birds were landing on its food source (weed seeds) patch.

It was time to stand and watch. I was soon enlightened for these birds were taking advantage of a recent cut of this extended garden lawn to lift a few tufts of grass and transport them to their nests in order to line them now they were built. A lovely example of how man and nature can find a way to co-exist and in such times as these I believe we need this relationship to re-grow…