Deserve their own blog entry I think. In every place I have lived, these birds have always captivated and amazed me with their flying expertise and the barely believable journeys they undertake twice a year. Málaga is no exception, with good urban populations of Barn and Red-Rumped Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins in Spring/Summer and Crag Martins taking over in Winter. Common Swifts as I have mentioned are one of the most numerous bird species in the area, Pallid Swifts less so, but not rare. Alpine Swifts tend to take to higher ground for nesting but can be seen in mixed flocks close to the City. Little Swifts have been seen here too, but not by me!

Mid-way through July and the hirundines are already getting prepared for the journey South. Common Swifts are busy feeding and pairing up. As the birds congregate in the mornings the individual pairs chase each other and copy each others movements. I have seen a particular pair fly close through the pine canopy, swoop under a bough repeatedly, stopping mid-air and spiralling downwards. These birds mate for life, so I would hazard a guess that they are developing those bonds which will keep the birds side by side for the rest of their lives.

The House Martins and both Swallow species use the beach for mud collecting during the nest building. Now they are fattening up on winged insects, which seem to be in good supply, judging by the amount of mosquito bites I end up with most nights after a dog walk.

Up in the hills away from town the Barn Swallows fly inches from the road surface, following the curves and dips as if guided by the white lines. Often, only a last ditch swerve seems to avoid me colliding head-on while pedalling, but the swallows are far too expert flyers to actually make contact. Red-Rumped Swallows aren’t as gregarious as their cousins. You see them in pairs or at this time of year, smaller family groups. They like to glide as they hunt, making deft turns mid-air to catch the insects. A friend who lives locally has them nesting close by, and they fly into his roofed patio and pick up insects which have congregated around the lights in the ceiling, not bothering at all about the proximity of people. Number one priority is bulking up in readiness for the return trip to Africa.

Once the last of the Swifts have left us, there will be short break in overhead activity until the Crag Martins return from their Summer haunts up in the mountains. Slightly chunkier than the House Martins, they are equally as skilled at insect removal. They use the cliff behind the house for roosting but seem much happier on window ledges of the many high rise blocks of flats in the area.

Getting back to the here and now, Málaga, like the rest of Southern Europe is experiencing abnormally high temperatures and Billy and I are having to get out a little earlier in the mornings, and after sundown for our walks. We are seeing plenty of bats but not much in the way of bird life. We did manage to find an escaped Canary in a pine. An unfamiliar chirp stopped me in my tracks and a Hoopoe flew out, but the chirping continued. Then a snowy white Canary appeared, gave us a final chirp and moved on. I hope it gets the hang of foraging for food, although these escaped birds rarely last long.