Sexton beetles BURY dead animals such as birds and rodents,
and lay their eggs in the rotting corpse, the larva then eat the rotting flesh.
Unusually both parent look after the young!
About Us
- NTS Dumfries and Galloway Countryside Team
- As members of the National Trust for Scotland Dumfries and Galloway Countryside Team, we manage properties across Dumfries and Galloway, including Threave Estate and Nature Reserve; Rockcliffe Property; Venniehill; The Murray's Isles and Bruce's Stone. Our task is to conserve and maintain the variety of habitats and species present, at the same time managing the sites for the education and enjoyment of current and future generations.
04 August 2014
Swifts, Swallows and Martin's! Which is which???
I keep getting asked the difference between a Swift, Swallow
and a Martin. So here are my top tips to tell the difference between these fast
flying summer migrants.
Swifts are large,
jet black and are always very high in the sky. Often screaming away.
Swallows have
streamers from their tails (the males are slightly longer). They also have a
red bib. They build their nests as open top ‘shelves’.
Whereas House Martins
build their nests right up to the ceiling, leaving just a small hole in which
to get in. The main distinguishing features in flight is the wedge shaped tail
and white rump.
Sand Martins on
the other hand have a yellowy, dusky belly and are dark on top. They are of
similar size and shape to a house martin but dirtier with no white rump! They
nest solely in sandbanks, hence the name.
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