House Martins
One night, out for a walk from my house in South Devon, I spot a small group of House Martins. As I wonder where they nest, I see one swoop exaggeratedly and disappear under the guttering on a house across the river.
The next morning, while the sun is still low, I set off to see if I can get some photographs of them. Here’s one of the nests:
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Town-The-Hall-of-Einar-11-725x483.jpg)
It’s a real talent to glue mud to a wall with your saliva. They are extraordinary birds.
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/House-Martins-The-Hall-of-Einar-1-2-725x408.jpg)
Whenever I see someone write ‘Best viewed full screen’ on a photograph on social media, I usually think ‘Oh, go away”, but that is definitely one you’ll benefit from clicking on.
Spectacular, aren’t they?
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/House-Martins-The-Hall-of-Einar-1-725x408.jpg)
This one is worth looking closely at, too. On its back it has a fly, a Louse Fly:
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/House-Martins-The-Hall-of-Einar-4-725x725.jpg)
This Louse Fly is probably Crataerina debilis. It’s a Hippoboscid fly (hippo meaning horse) which is a common parasite of House Martins. The flies are specially adapted for a life sucking blood from birds because they have:
- Bodies which are squished flat to make them aerodynamic.
- Legs like grappling hooks to grab on.
- Tiny useless wings.
- Biting mouthparts to suck blood.
- An egg which develops for so long inside their body that they finally give birth to a third-instar larva that is almost a pupa.
It’s the equivalent of having a large crab stuck to you, sucking your blood.
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/House-Martins-The-Hall-of-Einar-5-725x483.jpg)
There are probably more than 150 species of Hippoboscid Louse Flies. If you think that they’re revolting and you wish they didn’t exist, then hold on a moment. It gets worse. Many of these Louse Flies carry blood diseases from host to host.
Male and female House Martins look the same to us, though.
Lovely aren’t they?
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/House-Martins-The-Hall-of-Einar-1-1-725x725.jpg)
I particularly like this one’s fluffy underwings:
![House Martin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/House-Martin-The-Hall-of-Einar-1-725x483.jpg)
It’s lunchtime now and I must try to get the thought of infected nests of blood-sucking parasites out of my mind.