House martins

Many years ago I returned after a long weekend to find a pair had started to build a nest on the fire alarm in my office!

I was watching a repeat of Wild China the other day and it showed a family that had martins or swallows nesting in their house...it was supposed to be a sign of good luck, but all I could think about was all the poo .

I was wary eating outside a restaurant the other night when they were going back to their nests opposite. I love watching them skimming a pool to drink though. Yours might be back Ariadne, England is supposed to be getting another heat wave next week.

We have two nests - one in the roof apex by the back gate which entails jumping over the poo and one over the border by the front door, that one kills anything we try to grow there. Ours are still here, which is a bit of a problem as the decorator is doing outside next week.

Better than next door though - they have bats!

Our three lots on all on their second broods....no signs of any going as yet.

Our local forecaster said ' definitely NO HEATWAVE'

Tegan I've also been watching repeats of 'Wild China'.Saw it 2/3 yrs ago whilst staying with DD.
Sorry for diversion on this thread but if you haven't seen this series it's absolutely fantastic!

We don't get housemartins although there are a few swifts around. When we lived on a housing estate in Cornwall I was horrified by the way some of our neighbours would knock the nests down. Sadly they never tried nesting on our house. I'd love to have bats kittylester

The problem with bats is that the bit of the house in which they are nesting is falling into disrepair as it can't be decorated or renovated.

Mine have disappeared!

I want to see the whole series, Maniac. My ex husband has just come back from a business trip to China and he said the place was wonderful. The problem with programmes that are repeated is that, whenever I do catch a repeat it's usually the only one that I've seen before. One of the reasons I want to retire is so that I can stay up all night watching BBC4 and then sleep all day, then I won't miss anything! I've just spent a couple of hours in the garden [went out to cut the lawn and [as you do] ended up sweeping and pruning etc etc.]. Saw scrawny little robin once and hear one bird sing. No birds flying overhead either. Referring back to the other thread, I'm getting a bit concerned.

We live in a modern housing estate...we have one house martins nest up at the apex under the barge boards..and another round the side on top of the burglar alarm..think one of them is a semi detached they keep adding extentions but bits keep falling off(cowboy builder)....and when I was recently up the scaffolding stone painting..I had brill view of the little babies..before they ducked back down in the the nest.....(I carefully painted round their little homes) ours are still here flying about, must be at least 50 swooping about...although does seem to have quietened off a bit this last week.

I understand that you can't remove the nests unless they have been vacated - is that right? I'm not thinking of doing so, I hasten to add! Don't know about Theseus, though; our house is cream and the wall beneath the nest, and the burglar alarm are covered with poo...

yes our house is cream also...cream rendering..and it does get a bit of a mess when they are rebuilding and also I think they sit on the edge of the nest and use the drop!! as their toilet! I had only just finished the exterior painting..all lovely frersh magnolia...! when the inevitable happened! tut! yes bird poo! streaked down my lovely painted walls....fortunately our lovely weather soon washes it off