House Martin - a photo on Flickriver

House Martin

            Apologies for such an unseasonal upload but I came across this photo I took earlier this year but hadn't uploaded when I went on a foreign trip, and when I returned I was distracted by foreign photos.  It took me ages to capture a half-decent House Martin in flight that showed the white rump.  I don't know what it is but I find House Martins far more difficult to photograph than either Swallows or Sand Martins.  I was quite pleased with this one as the sunshine showed the blue iridescence on the head and back.  They were added to the red list in the latest Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC5) in 2020 as their decline has now reached 66%.  A large decline has also occurred across its European range.  Swallows also seem to have tumbled this year so it would not surprise me if Swallows move onto the red list soon.  House Martins nest almost entirely on buildings and its scientific name urbicum (frequenting towns) reflects this.  But a small number nest on cliff overhangs, which would have been the original nesting habitat before buildings.  Their mud cup nests take about 10 days to build and use about a thousand beakfuls of mud.
   

Taken on: May 27, 2023

Tags:

Delichon

urbicum

Martin

flying

flight

West

Yorkshire

Tim Melling « less

Sets appears in: • British Birds

Stats: 3,855 views / 38 comments

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