July 2025 Ramsbury Bird Notes by Paul Swan

House Martin

The last few weeks have been relatively dry, and one result of this is the lack of mud! We were reminded of this on a walk to Littlecote when we saw a large group of house martins gathering mud near the river, presumably for nest repairs.

Nesting has certainly been the focus for most birds, with many youngsters now fledged, while others need nonstop feeding. In our garden the tiny wren can now relax having successfully raised three chicks. Later in the process are the red kites. We have been watching two nests, and the adults are now clearly engaged in providing for hungry youngsters. This need for food often brings the kites into conflict with crows. It is now a common sight to see one or more crows attacking a red kite. This is usually to keep the larger birds away from nesting sites, but also because they compete for the same food. Sometimes hungry birds are driven to unusual behaviour. My favourite report of the month is of a red kite swooping down into a large garden and stealing a sausage from the barbecue! I would love to have witnessed that.

The swifts continue to enrich our warm evenings with their aerobatic screaming displays before they return to their nests in the Square with crops full of tiny insects. It will not be long before the youngsters are joining in.