Hello All
I am new to RSPB. Hope I have made this post to the right section. I bought my house 8 years ago primarily because of the House Martin nests under eaves of roof. I have watched with wonder the repair of nests and feeding of chicks over the years. The reason why I am posting a topic for discussion to members is to hear from other people who have had the same experience as me this year and perhaps to learn why this is happening .
I have found 7 pre-fledgling dead chicks on the south side of my house during 2nd and 3rd week of July. This is the first time it has happened. I have 4 nests under the roof on the south side and 3 nests on north side. No deaths have occurred on the north side. The parents have been very active in flying to and from the nests early evening on both sides of the house. The nests are sound. No sign of them breaking. No cats can get to them either.
Have other people had similar experience of House Martin chick deaths this year? Any professional account for this happening specifically to House Martins would be welcomed. I am sure there will questions asked to draw a conclusion. Here is a few more points to contemplate. I have not found any other dead baby birds from other species. Nor have I carried out any external painting. The area in which I live is adjacent to a nature reserve. No change to locality, such as noise or pollutant emission. I have allowed nature to take it's own course in my front garden with self seeding of prolific flowering plants for insects.
Look forward to reading your replies.
Jo Rickman
I think that it would be impossible for anyone to do any more than guess at an explanation, even with more information - but it does sound curious.
It could just be coincidence that the deaths have all been on one side of the house and it was as a result of the pairs there struggling to find food (perhaps all the less experienced pairs just happened to nest on that side), or it could be that some sort of illness affected them, and the nests on the other side where separated by far enough to prevent the infection reaching those nests - or something entirely different.
I think that it could be interesting to see what ideas people come up with though!
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I can't remember if I read it on here or saw it in a TV wildlife programme , but there have been instances of male Swifts killing the offspring of rival males in this fashion.
EDIT link to an article on infantacide in birds http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/3/462.full
BBC Nature article http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18035811
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Galatas said: I can't remember if I read it on here or saw it in a TV wildlife programme , but there have been instances of male Swifts killing the offspring of rival males in this fashion. EDIT link to an article on infantacide in birds http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/3/462.full
That's a very interesting suggestion!
Swifts will evict other species from their own nest sites if they return to find them occupied, usually house sparrows bear the brunt of their aggression. Starlings are a bit more tricky to evict but I don't think swifts would take on a house martin colony as they wouldn't have an interest in their nests. House sparrows however do take over house martin nests and can turf out chicks in the process. This is a common occurence which we get reports of every year.
The suggestion of a poor year for reproduction however is a likely answer as well, many species have suffered the consequences of the damp weather. This may also explain why the nests on the other wall have done better, could their nests be better protected from the elements?
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
My cousin who lives in rural Gloucestershire has Swallows nesting in outbuildings. They are on at least their second brood. She was telling me the other day that they keep finding dead chicks on the floor of the buildings. I suspect, although don't know for certain, that lack of insects is the culprit in this case and that the parents are ejecting the dead chicks.
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Tony
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Hello Roy
Thank you for your message. That is interesting your comment on infection. I will read the other replies and see what other people have to say. The fledglings were skeletal and very dry when found on the ground. I wondered if the parents had difficulty in removing the dead chick and had to wait until body mass had reduced. Some dead chicks had maggots on them which would indicate a number of days or week dead prior to removal from nest.
Jo
Hello Galatas
We have seen twice the number of swifts this year. Some are in deed aggressive and mob the smaller House martins in flight.
Hello
Thank you for this information. Regarding protection from the elements. The over hang of the roof equally protects from wind and rain. South side is naturally hotter but this year has been colder and wetter than previous years. I do have house sparrows that go up into the roof itself. Noisy first thing in the morning. Perhaps they have been the problem this year. I do not see any house sparrows go into the roof from the north side. No sign of rats or mice in the roof.
All very strange considering how hot it was last year and no deaths then.