5 September β 14 October
the coastal calendar, unshifted
Stables, boat sheds and any open building it can fly through; mud nest on a beam.
Two broods, sometimes three, in the same nest β so a nest that looks finished in June is usually refilled by early July. Closing the barn door after the birds have built is what kills most Croatian swallow nests, not predators.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| away for the winter | 15 October β 9 March | 146 days | Not here at all. The birds are on the wintering grounds, thousands of kilometres south. |
| arriving | 10 March β 4 April | 26 days | Returning from the wintering grounds; the first birds are ahead of the peak. |
| building | 5 April β 24 April | 20 days | Nest, burrow or den under construction, or being lined out. |
| on eggs | 25 April β 9 May | 15 days | Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun. |
| raising young | 10 May β 31 May | 22 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young have left | 1 June β 4 September | 96 days | Young out of the nest or den, but still fed and followed by the adults. |
| leaving | 5 September β 14 October | 40 days | Leaving for the wintering grounds; stragglers run weeks behind. The pre-migration gatherings on wires are the second brood plus their parents. |