At this time of year, swallows and house martins prepare for their long migration to Africa.
Escot House – being the tallest building around – acts like a magnet to them pre departure. It is not unusual to see up to 200 house martins clinging to the vertical walls near the roof, as well as sitting on the highest window ledges.
Some of these birds breed in the surrounding buildings, but nowhere near the numbers that gather around the house now.
Whilst this spectacle is a joy to watch, with the birds wheeling, landing briefly and flying off on the wing again, it is also something of a disappointment that in the last 60 years there have not been any swifts calling overhead during the summers. While they can be heard over Ottery, Feniton and possibly Talaton, we don’t hear them at Escot.
Swifts stay continuously on the wing from the moment they leave their nest for the next 3 years until they are mature and ready to nest themselves.
Modern buildings provide little or no nesting opportunities and even many churches are repairing and sealing crevices. Consequently, swifts are in trouble!
But there are things that can be done to give them a helping hand. Escot has just commissioned the Devon Swift Project to install 10 multiple swift boxes.
And to attract them to inspect these new nesting opportunities, electronic ‘callers’ have also been installed which will be turned on in late March next year for 3 months – hopefully to attract new residents!
Realistically it could take several years to see swifts return to Escot. Watch this space!
