Family of swallow chicks caught on camera in Mayo cottage

The Barn Swallow, scientifically known as Hirundo Rustica, is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. They send the winter months south of the equator and fly north to breed in springtime, returning year after year to the same area they were born, often using the same nest in the very same barn for many years in a row.

The five baby swallows in the accompanying photograph were hatched in a nest in the old Brennan family homestead in Dromada-Duke village in Killasser parish in East Mayo in a nest used every year for the past decade, rejuvenated by the swallows each year with skill and dedication. It is one of two nests in the same cottage, where up to eighteen chicks are hatched every year, and it is a magnificent sight to behold.

With the demolition of many of our traditional barns and outbuildings over recent decades - all in the name of progress - the need for safe and secure places for swallows to nest is greater than ever.

Swallows begin to arrive in the West of Ireland in April, although a little later and in fewer numbers with each passing year. Climate change, predation and the loss of nesting sites are the main causes of a fall in numbers worldwide. Here in Ireland, the intensification of farming practices, and with it the increased use of slurry spreading, has reduced the availability of small flies, generally called midges, which are the main food source of swallows.

While the importance of farming in our communities cannot be overstated, it can exert downward pressure on wildlife and in particular on swallow populations in rural Ireland. Farmers have made measurable progress in helping wildlife in recent years, such as fitting bat boxes to help restore bat populations and help bring back our once common and beloved corncrake.

So what can be done for the swallow?

Allowing access to barns in the breeding season and restoring derelict farm buildings are two measures that would be helpful. The Traditional Farm Building Grant Scheme may help with the latter but it badly needs to be expanded. The websites for the Citizens Information Website and Teagasc provide helpful information.

For the five baby swallows born in the old Brennan homestead, this was a good year. They have all survived and are thriving.

Later on in the year, as they fly south for the winter months, they will partake in one of nature's great migrations, their place of birth in a small country cottage hundreds of years old in East Mayo firmly etched in their memories.