Barn Swallows - The Return of the Swallows festival

The Return of the Barn Swallows

We had a lovely and very successful day last Sunday at the Return of the Barn Swallows. We estimated over a thousand visitors attending and it was our most cosmopolitan gathering to date with representation of all SA cultures and a wide spectrum of people from other parts of the world. We were really able to show off with new and updated display and information boards, per kind favour of Angie's photographic and design skills, showing all our achievements from the capture of the Finnish swallow to a new board declaring the Lake Victoria Swallow Roost as an I.B.A - an Important Bird Area. We are the only IBA in the Metro.

IBA's represent areas of significance requiring conservation protection and that are monitored by BirdlifeSA and Birdlife International. The Lake Victoria Roost is categorised as an IBA as it hosts over 1% of the world's barn swallows.

Numerous media representatives were present. 50/50 filmed swallow ringing and various press journalists took photos and notes. Pav Johnnson, a Swedish journalist was also present having previously gathered information from us and written about the swallows in his home journal in Sweden. We also recently received film of the footage the Irish TV crew took last year and some taken by a Finnish film crew some years ago. We were also visited by a swallow ringer, Sean Clinning, who did a lot of ringing here back in the 1990's. Birdlife Port Natal were represented as was the Bat Interest Group so it was a great gathering of the clans. And the swallows, after throwing a curved ball by disappearing during the week to Froggy Swamp, returned en force and gave us a grand display.

Thanks go to all concerned who contributed to the success of the day particularly committee members. We will keep you posted on this the first season where the swallows are experiencing the planes for the first time. Both the radar team, ourselves and other birders are monitoring the situation. While the swallows have not left they are definitely being affected by the planes, both outgoing and incoming. Only time will tell the degree of impact.