Flying squad prepares to flee

Richard Collins on the mating and nesting habits of martins

FOR the first time in 30 years, martins are nesting on my house. New homes and access roads are being built in our area. Rainwater can’t percolate through the acres of concrete and downpours cause flash floods. A reservoir has been dug to hold the surplus water. It should be empty in summer but this year’s rains have kept it topped up.

Midges and mosquitoes, hatching from its muddy bottom, attract insect-eating birds such as house martins. Thanks to the frequent rains, flying insects are abundant throughout Ireland this year, a bonanza for the birds which eat them.