HARD TO SWALLOW

I have seen hardly any barn swallows this year and friends have said the same. There were fewer than usual last year, and the trend is downwards. A member of the nature club in which I am involved has even ceased their annual swallow count at breeding sites in barns and similar buildings which have been used by swallows for decades and probably longer. And the reason is that there are no longer any swallows to count!

Swallows are the epitome of our English summers, and it is both sad and worrying that they, other hirundinids such as swifts and house martins plus several other bird species, are in steep decline. There seem to be two main reasons and if you read my insight posts you will know what they are: climate change and the collapse of the flying insects on which these insectivorous birds feed.

Swallows overwinter 10,000 km away in South Africa but climate change in the form of increased droughts plus excessive heat and rainfall has hit them hard, not just by environmental disruption per se, but by the knock-on effect of climate breakdown on insect populations and, perhaps more severe, intensive farming and excessive pesticide use. Few are the traditional farmyards with masses of insects attracted by livestock and breeding places for swallows in traditional barns these days.

For all the talk by governments, I see no resolution of this situation or an end to the climatic and habitat changes that have caused it, not in my lifetime, anyway. I can only hope that the world’s politicians wake up and join forces but, judging by efforts so far, it is rather forlorn. Yes, we can all help by making our gardens and greenspaces more friendly for wildlife or joining and supporting a nature group such as the RSPB or local Wildlife Trust who do such sterling work, but unprecedented international effort and collaboration is needed urgently.

It is sad not to see these lovely birds swooping in and out of their nesting buildings, flying so acrobatically as they feed, and lining up on the telegraph wires as they prepare to migrate at the end of summer.