Bird spotters’ delight as swallows return

DURBAN conservationists and avid bird watchers were thrilled when the famous barn swallows recently made an unexpected pit stop at Mount Moreland as they prepared for their migration to the northern hemisphere.

For the first time in three years, these little passerines were spotted gathering, in March, at one of the largest roosting sites in South Africa: the wetlands at Lake Victoria at Mount Moreland. In recent years the birds have only graced the site from between November and mid-February.

“The climate has been conducive for them this season. We have had perfect humidity and loads of insects, which have allowed for the swallows to stay as long as they have,” said Angie Wilken, the founder and chairperson of the Mount Moreland Conservancy.

While the barn swallows might not seem impressive up close, their extraordinary lives have thrust them into the spotlight. The climate-sensitive creatures embark annually on an epic journey as they migrate from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere for their breeding season.

As spring arrives in September, the tiny birds, weighing no more than 22 grams, take on the summer migration, travelling more than 10 000 kilometres back from Europe to South Africa to roost. The passage lasts four to 12 weeks.

By November, the initial small flocks of a few thousand grow to more than three million swallows, swooping and diving above the wetlands, which are covered in Phragmites Australis reeds – creating the perfect hunting ground and playground for these majestic little birds.

Every evening, from end-October to mid-April, the millions of swallows gather for about half an hour before sunset, flying in vast numbers over the wetlands, hunting insects. As dusk falls, the swallows drop down in the reeds and are only seen again at dusk the next day. This short spectacle is what draws hundreds of visitors to the site every year.