Global Birdfair was held on 15, 16 and 17 July 2022 at Rutland Showground, Oakham UK. Global Birdfair was held on 15, 16 and 17 July 2022 at Rutland Showground, Oakham UK. Having spent my career as an accountant I had almost no experience of helping to organise and run a stand at a major...

Approximately seven years ago we had the privilege of having a pair of house martins construct a nest under the eaves at the rear of our house. They nested here for a couple of years and although we did have other pairs start to build nothing much came of this. Unfortunately, during the winter of...

Since my last update we have updated our website to enable members and supporters to make donations to the charity. We have been incredibly grateful to see just how many of you are making donations for all sorts of reasons. Only last month we received a donation from a new member who joined us after...

Bentley Wood is a 1,800 acre woodland, with Site of Special Scientific Interest status, located in south-east Wiltshire. A group of people living in villages surrounding the woods have created a Facebook group called the Bentley Wood wildlife buffer zone group. The aim of the group is to create a nature-friendly buffer zone around the...

I am going to tell you about an audio documentary. I must tell you before you read on, I’m not going to give anything away. If you want to know more, you’ll have to listen to it! This audio documentary is not just about birds. I suppose you could say it’s about people with a...

In June we had a total of 26 nesting pairs, three of which arrived in June. Judging by their smart feathering they were later bred young from last season rather that failed breeders from other colonies. three pairs arriving here in June is average for this colony. In June we had a total of 26...

Increasingly it is becoming apparent that many large HM colonies are based on non-residential buildings and structures. However, our current membership offering does not easily fit with non-individual bodies. House Martin Conservation UK & Ireland has a successful system of full membership currently limited to individual memberships with full voting rights in line with both...

During March to May, house martins began to arrive from Africa for their six month summer holidays again this year in Old Dairy, Okeford Fitzpaine.   The male bird arrives with a new wife every year, either to the existing mud nest he built the year before or they embark on building a new mud...

The Eaves By Jonathan R. Parsonage ‘Free as a bird to settle where I will…’ – William Wordsworth I Composed. Prepared for flight. A black eye beholds An unfamiliar sky. Sudden as the forming Of clouds over the sun, Bow-wing begins, buoyant, Expanding, floating like the Chink of a windchime, And circling The Eaves. II...