We live in mid-Cornwall and the swallows arrived about a week ago. During the last two days the swallows have started to divebomb us on our field making very loud chirping noises! It is actually very intimidating. I am fearful for my two small children and do not wish to endure this for the whole summer. Last year the swallows only showed this behaviour when they had chicks in their nest. I cannot believe that they are nesting already after only one week! Any suggestions?
Hi, they do come here to breed so they will be nest building if they don't yet have eggs or even chicks. Best to play it safe and keep out of "their" territory you will soon find out how close is close enough.
How lovely it would be to have swallows nesting here, but we do get the pleasure of the adults teaching the young to fly over and around our house avoiding obstacles and catching flies.
Sarah
HI
Idon't think theyb are divebombing They are simply catching insects and will sometimes come pretty close.
Ray
a good laugh is better than a tonic
Swallows, swifts and martins will all come very close while hawking insects.
They seem to do it more when there is a greater density of insects, so it the sky is full duck ;)
Edited for more info :-
Can't say I've heard of anything smaller than a jackdaw, trying to drive a human away.
Corvids, Gulls and birds of prey will happily give it a go.
It's both what you do and the way that you do it!
You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren. William Henry Hudson (1841 - 1922)
Swallows will mob people if they feel threatened - don't see how they could do any harm though. I read once of a biologist who had to get up on his roof to do some repairs, near an active Swallow nest. The birds were very agitated and divebombed him. Thereafter, if he ever went outside wearing the same clothes he'd worn on that day, the birds would go for him again, but they ignored him as long as he was wearing something else!
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Cheers Aiki.
New one to me, not sure it's something that would achieve anything, I suppose its a hope that pestering enough may make us think it's to much effort.
I can understand it in circumstances like that, where the nest has been encroached on, but just in a field seems wrong. (Unless they disturbed them last year and are wearing the same close;))
I think these ate birds that are hawking for insects and getting very close,nest protection behavior would not happen in the middle of a field.If you and your children are perturbed by the behavior it may be best to avoid the area if possible as I cannot think of a legal way of stopping it.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
seen some SWIFT replies some hard to SWALLOW suggest you stop in the HOUSE MARTIN
Take two tablets and go for a lie down :)
must be summat in't Barnsley water
Wendy S said: must be summat in't Barnsley water
Its called whisky LOL