Here In Mathry a relatively healthy population of 20+ pairs of House Martins, years ago, have dwindled to one, perhaps two pairs.. Treqwynt Manor not far away had over 30 pairs five years ago and is now down to nine or ten.
My old mate Brian Rickard had several pairs of House Martins and Swallows nesting on his eves and within his sheds, at his holding on Dale Rd, but none at all this year.
I spent 40 minutes in the Co-op car park looking for Swifts and drew a blank. there were at least two pairs probably nesting in the centre of tow, probably in or around the St Mary's Church, last year. One pair regularly nested in the old primary school but that was pulled down a couple of years ago.
I feel cheated and sad that younger generations may never have the thrill of a summer soundtrack of screaming Swifts, warbling Swallows (surely the most underrated of our songsters) and twittering House Martins.
I have noticed sparrows plundering nests but so did Gilbert White over two hundred years ago, so its something that has probably always happened. It may now be more of a problem now that populations seem to be plummeting due to other possibly unidentified factors.