Sze

Inform by Stanley that more than 200 pcs Barn Swallow rested on the Water Front Bar & Restaurant, Yung Shue Wan Main Street, Lamma Island on 11Apr2010  evening. Stanley!Thanks for your sharing!

感謝鳥友 Stanley 報料! 4月11日晚上有多達200隻家燕在南丫島榕樹灣大街的海灣餐廳附近出現!

[ Last edited by Sze at 13/04/2010 20:33 ]

tmichael

And this restaurant is still open?

Shocking!

Mike Turnbull

lpaul

Agree.  Perhaps all of Lamma should be closed to visitors as a precaution.

ajohn

I'm expecting the government to close the Yung Shue Wan ferry. At least for part of the journey.

Stonechat

好壯觀喔....謝謝分享

Sze

Some valuable information about Barn Swallow in Lamma from a bird lover!
Thank you so much for Mick Atha's email which send to me on 16-04-2010(Fri)!

一些南丫島家燕在這個多月內的情況, 謝謝 Mick Atha的分享!






Dear Sze,

......... I would like to report an unfolding crisis for our swallow population here in Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. We have a swallow nest outside our office and noted a few weeks ago that two early swallow arrivals had taken up residence. However the weather turned cold and wet and they both were found dead in the street. That was bad enough, but since then many more swallows have arrived in Yung Shue Wan and this latest cold, wet spell seems to be having a devastating effect on the population. We noticed yesterday evening that the swallows had gathered in several closely-packed groups apparently unable to feed and desperately trying to keep warm by combined body heat. I know that swallows can only eat live insects, which they must catch on the wing - there are presently no such insects around and I fear that by being unable to feed for perhaps as little as two days the entire population may starve to death. I have already found one dead swallow outside our office this morning and I suspect that there are many more on the balconies of flats where they were sheltering last night. My wife and I are very upset about this and wondered if there is anything that can be done?

Yours sincerely,

Mick Atha

Sze

More details from Mick today! Really Thank you so much for his sharing!
感謝Mick今日提供的更詳細資料!



Dear Sze,

Many thanks for getting back to me about the swallows. I'm happy for you to post my email onto the website - sadly I think there will be other bird-lovers around the territory who have also observed dead swallows so it may encourage others to come forward with information.

We noticed the first pair of swallows visiting the nest outside our office perhaps around mid-March, maybe earlier. They arrived with the first warm weather in March and were killed by the first very cold, wet spell of weather soon afterwards. We were so delighted to see them back and it was very sad that they couldn't survive the bad weather. I can't remember the date exactly, but it was the first really cold, wet spell in March.

Over Easter we noticed that many more swallows had arrived and were flying around buildings along the Yung Shue Wan shorefront. Another pair had also started visiting the nest outside our office. The numbers around in Yung Shue Wan were hard to estimate, but they seemed to be doing well until the cold, wet weather of last Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday evening we heard a lot of noise outside our office and noted three groups of swallows in Yung Shue Wan Back Street perhaps totalling 65 individuals: on the balcony to the rear of No.xx Main Street, where the nest is located (approx. 25 birds); on the balcony behind No.xx Main Street (approx. 10 birds); and on the balcony of No.xx or maybe No.xx Back Street (approx.30 birds).

I noticed one dead swallow in the doorway of No.xx Main Street on Thursday evening and was worried for the others because it was so cold and wet on Thursday night. I walked around the area near our office last Friday morning expecting the worst but found just one other dead swallow in Back Street below the rear balcony of No.xx Main Street (I informed the AFCD of the bird's location earlier this afternoon and they came and collected it today). The dead swallow outside No.xx disappeared over the weekend so maybe a cat or one of the street cleaners took it away.

As I mentioned in my email on Friday morning, there may be further casualties on the balconies where the birds were sheltering on Thursday night, but it is impossible to see from street level or from our office windows.


Best wishes,

Mick