Hirundo neoxena
Welcome Swallows are partial summer migrants, observed slightly more in summer and early autumn than in winter. Numbers peak slightly in September and decline in late spring rising to a second, higher peak during summer and early autumn. The dip in numbers after arrival of the swallows in spring is typical of summer migrants as they pass through the suburbs, heading for more appropriate breeding areas.
Numbers varied throughout the survey, but were especially high in 1993-94, partly because of high numbers recorded from one site in Gungahlin. The numbers have been largely constant over the past decade. Swallows make cup-shaped mud nests on the sides of structures such as bridges and sheds. Breeding can occur over an extended time with activities at the nest from late August to nest-with-young as late as mid- May. Most breeding activity is from early October to end December. R=40. BR=41.
