12 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE GETTY IMAGES
MikeShortMikeShortis anecologistatthe
GWCT.Heis a keenangler,deerstalker
andforagerandhelpstoruna wildbird
roughshootinWiltshire.Country DiaryElderflowersandstrawberries,tennisandtrout,butthishasnotbeena proper English summer because the swallows have failed to arriveAccordingtotheBBCnews,
a potentiallydeadlyheatwave,
causedbya plumeofhotair
fromtheSahara,isheadingour
way.I’vejustwateredfartoomanypotted
plantsaroundourgarden,mostofthem
desperatefora drinkafterwhatfeelslike
thehottestdayoftheyearsofar.
Thisweek,I havenoticeda biginflux
ofpaintedladybutterflies,theirpretty
wingsfadedandtattyafterjourneyinghere
onthewarmwindsblowinginfromnorth
Africa.Thesevisitorsaremostwelcomein
ourgarden.Thereasonwhyit isteaming
withpurplesandpinks,yellows,oranges
andredsisn’tonlybecauseI’ma sucker
forprettyflowers.It’sbecauseI likedoing
mybittohelppollinatinginsects,whose
populations—accordingtothegloomiest
reports—areinglobalfreefall.
Thereisa questiononmigrantsthat
I haveheard,andasked,repeatedlythis
year:wherearealltheswallows?I’vebeen
chewingthisoverwithecologistfriendsat
theGWCTsincelateApril,whenit became
apparentthatthesebelovedharbingersof
summerseemedvirtuallyabsentfromthe
rivermeadowsalongtheAvonValley,where
theskiesareusuallypepperedwiththem
inlatespring.Perhapstheyarelatearriving,
wemused.Sowewaited.Andwewaited,
andthenit wasMay,thenit wasJune
andtheswallowshave barely shown.Biodversity
TheriverAvonanditsfloodplain
isinternationallyrecognisedforits
enormousbiodiversity.It’sdesignated
asa SpecialAreaofConservationandis
strictlyprotectedundertheEU’sHabitats
Directive.Thislandscapeisoneof
botanicallyrichmeadows,wherethemain
riverandmyriadwaterchannels,pools,
scrapesandpuddlesensurethatthere
isalwaysa bountifulsupplyofmud for
swallowstobuildtheirnests.
A lotofthemeadowsandmarshesare
grazed,astheyhavebeenforgenerations,
bycattleandhorses,whichattractvast
numbersofflyinginsects,hencelotsof
swallowfood.Thisyear,I’vehadmore
horsefly bitesthanI caretoremember.
On one very special farm, the tenanttobreed.Extremeweathereventsontheir
winteringgroundsaffectfoodavailability
andincreasinghuman-derivedchallenges
encounteredalongtheirflywaysand
stopoversitescanprovecataclysmic.
I haveheardthatthisyear’sswallow
no-showcouldbelinkedtowinter
droughtsinKenya;toextensiveflooding
inMozambique;totheincreasinguseof
mist-netsstrewnalongthenorthcoast
ofEgypttocaptureswallowsandother
passerinesbirdsforfood;andtothe
widespread,unregulateduseofhighly
toxicagrochemicals,bannedintheEU
but‘given’topoorAfricancropgrowers.
I don’tthinkanyonereallyknowswhat
wentwrongforourreturningswallowsthis
year,butit wasprobablya combination
ofthings.Yes,we’vehadelderflowersand
strawberries,andtennisandtrout,but
thishasn’tbeena trueEnglishsummerfor
me;howcanit bewithoutswallows?Like
thepaintedladies,thewarmblueskiesI’m
seeingnowaremostwelcome.Butthey’re
soeerilyquietwithoutthedartingblue-and-
white birds with the long tail streamers.breedsPercherons,a sturdyFrenchkind
ofdraughthorseoriginallybredforwar.
Therearetightlymunchedpaddocks,
quakinghaymeadowsandolddamp
pasturesfullofrushesandmeadowsweet
andriddledwiththedivotsofbeefcattle.Hisfewarablefields—stillworkedbyShire
horses—area floweryjoyandtheoat fi elds
areablazewithcornmarigolds.
Withthelonggraveltracksthatstillget
crunchedbycarriageandcartwheels,the
rose-coveredthatchedcottages,theold
schoolhouseandramshackleopen-fronted
barnsandoutbuildingswherelambsplay
anddomesticgeesehiss,it feelslikea
bygoneage.Butthisveryswallow-friendly
farmhasbeenvirtuallydevoidofthemthis
yearandnota singlepairhasbred.
Globalmigrationisa hazardoussurvival
strategyforbirds.Thetypeoftimeless
EnglishlandscapethatI’vejustdescribed
suits swallows but they still need to get here“The blueskiesare most welcomebut eerily quietwithout the blue-and-white birds”Theswallows,beloved
harbingersofsummer,
arenotablyabsentfrom
British gardens this year