Into June 1921 and Viola remains on holiday in the Aviemore area. She has noticed a House Martin’s nest above the window of the room in the house where she is staying. Viola is engaged with nature wherever she happens to be and it is clear that she has spent time watching the nest and observing the birds coming and going to feed their chicks.
The Common House Martin is found across the UK. It is a small bird with a glossy blue black back and tail and creamy white belly and legs. It has a distinctive forked tail and can be seen in summer flying acrobatically to catch insects. They are summer visitors to Britain, arriving in April from Africa where they spend the winter after an epic journey for such a small bird. The birds are very much associated with man made structures, building their nests under the eaves of houses each one made of small balls of mud that the birds scoop up in their beaks and stick together to make a bowl like structure that the line with grass, moss and feathers. You can read more about the House Martin here.
June 5 Riverdale.
There is a House Martin’s Nest above one of
the windows here. The hen is sitting, and the cock feeds
her regularly – about once in ten minutes.
