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Young country diary: The house martins are back
Norfolk: My dad said they hadn’t been on this street for 20 years – so where have they been?
TL;DR
- House martins have returned to a village street after a 20-year absence.
- They are building a nest near the observer's bedroom window.
- House martins are small birds, about 12cm long, and are endangered.
- They migrate from Africa and nest in the summer, laying 4-5 eggs that hatch after about 14 days.
- The birds feed their young flying insects.
- Their return after two decades raises questions about their whereabouts during the intervening summers.
- The observer hopes the house martins will return every year.