Harvesting Housemartin Guano

This year, for the first time since we moved in, no House Martins nested in our eaves. 

It's possible this was my fault: last winter, for the first time,  I set up a bird feeder in the front garden. This lead to a great deal of excitement (including a notable morning when Mr Sparrowhawk, of the Donnington Sparrowhawks, swooped in, caught and partly consumed a sparrow with nonchalant unconcern while ourselves and some house guests goggled from the living room window) and the establishment of an excitable, noisy and vigorous sparrow gang, regulars at the bird feeder and noisy favourites of ourselves and the cats.

When the House Martins turned up, in smaller numbers than usual, the Sparrows had words. They'd been eyeing it up the Housemartin Nest (we only had the one) as possible overflow nesting from their main lair in next door's ivy. The words turned nasty, the nest was squabbled over. One morning we came out to find it in bits at the bottom of the wall. Very small, dusty, fragile bits - no-one had chanced eggs in it. I'm not sure it would have safely taken them anyway. 

It wasn't in great repair, and we are a distance from mud for repairs. But I missed our birds, in such moments of mind I had over from the many other crises of this year.

The Housemartins did not rebuild. But could I help them with that? Building a House Martin Nest Box feels like it might just encourage the sparrows. I like sparrows too of course, so that might not be a problem? But there's also the possibility of actually painting the house, now there aren't any residents, and in the long run that might even be better for the birds, who apparently prefer painted houses.

In the end, next door had to cut their ivy, and the bird feeder got closed down when it became more of a mammalian attraction. The sparrow gang are off feeding on this season's enormous glut of berries. I'm forbidden from ladder work following my stroke, so the topiary chameleon is shaggy and unkempt. But I've heard the odd explosion of chirps or whirr of wings as someone investigates the feeders out front. Maybe it's time to get the Sparrow (and Sparrowhawk) feeder provisioned and back up.

As far as the House Martins go, well. Let's see what happens next year.