Our latest batch of baby swallows

Oh, so many. It's nice to see them thriving.

Beatifully captured photos Sg. thanks you, amazing birds aren't they?

We don't have anything like the numbers we used to have, so these are very precious. We lost our sparrows for a few years but last year they took over the swallows nests under the eaves.There was a lot of squabbling before they settled down. This year we supplied extra bird boxes and have already had a brood of coal tits in one and sparrows in another. We cut down a lot of trees so have had to fix the boxes to sheds and posts. We have all kinds of birds frequenting the garden. We have a lot of wrens and they are not timid as they used to be in the past. I do like to see them.

That is lovely, we need to protect our fluffy creatures as their numbers are dwindling, do you belong to RSPB?

I was surprised to find the adults actually go away for short breaks to Holland if the weather here is inclement and they come back with food from there. My husband was in the Merchant Navy many moons ago and he said it was a sight to see when the swallows roosted on the ship for the night.

Oh thats amazing bless them, they work so hard for their young dont they!

No I am too busy. The children were in the YOC Young Ornithologists Club when they were small and we often went birding at the RSPB site at Vane Farm near Kinross. That is a good site because you get the birds in the loch (Loch Leven) and then you can walk up the hill and spot all sorts of others. They had a healthy swallow population flying in and out of the barns completely ignoring the visitors.

In the autumn the older birds leave first for South Africa then up to a month later the younger ones follow. It is an amazing spectacle to see the birds gathering on the telephone wires as they join up to fly together in convoy almost. Are you in the RSPB.

Used to be but it was an expense we had to dispose of !

Join the club. There seems to be so many demands on your time when you retire you tend to forget they also have financial implications.

I was lucky enough to watch six on my fence mum didnt feed everytime it was as if she was showing them how its done.Great to watch isnt it.

Lovely blog & pics Scotsgran, beautiful birds :-))

Great blog and lovely pics Scotsgran!

Thank you all for your kind comments. It is hard to imagine how these birds survive the rigours of their lives.

What lovely photos Scotsgran of lovely birds. You are so right about the Red Arrows, AND those sweet little fledglings will fly all the way to Africa at the end of summer here. Isn't it amazing how they do that, no one tells them the way or gives them maps or sat navs.