Juanita Browne: Return of migrant birds a sign summer is on its way

Barn swallows are usually seen in flight or perched on overhead wires.

For many of us, the return of migrating birds heralds the start of summer, so it’s always heartening to see swooping barn swallows appear again above our heads. A wonderful international project called ‘Spring Alive’ from BirdLife International, aims to track a selection of different summer migrants as they travel to their summer haunts, four of which choose sites in Ireland to spend the summer and are easy to identify: the barn swallow, sand martin, cuckoo and the swift. By logging your sightings you will help to populate an interactive map that shows records across over 50 countries in Europe, Central Asia and Africa.

Spring Alive especially helps to foster children’s interest in nature and the conservation of migratory birds and to encourage action for birds and other wildlife as well as participation in events organized by BirdLife’s partners, such as BirdWatch Ireland, our national NGO for the conservation of birds, their habitats and other wildlife.