Ornithologist explains why swallows choose bridges for nesting

In Kazan, the repair of the piers of the Millennium Bridge will be temporarily suspended in order to save the nests. The work, which is being carried out from the side of the Uram Extreme Park, will be postponed for about a week. Ilgizar Rakhimov, Head of the Department of Bioecology, Hygiene and Public Health of the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, explained why swallows choose bridges for nesting.

Environmentalists and activists drew attention to the birds’ nests.

“The nesting period of the city swallow is actually over, the offspring have already flown out of their nests. Just in the active period of construction, there was a period when the swallows were sitting on their clutches, and they had small chicks. Nevertheless, since they settled there it means they got used to such conditions and they are happy with them,” Rakhimov noted.

According to the ornithologist, swallows traditionally nest in large cities, including Kazan, under balconies, especially on lower floors. In Russian realities, this usually involves older residential buildings of widespread constructions series, the so-called ‘khruschevkas’. In nine-storey buildings, where balconies are located uninterruptedly one under the other, swallows could no longer make nests.

“With the changes in architectural concepts, swallows began to actively nest under bridges. Swallows fly very far from Kazan to the outskirts for open ground, and they make their nests out of mud. As a result, they try to settle closer to places with open ground and convenient high places. So, bridges turned out to be a very convenient place for them. This applies not only to the Millennium, but also to the Kremlin Dam,” said the expert.

According to Rakhimov, the nests often fall down from vibration.

“A very large number of nests fall off from the vibration, and as a result, the clutches die. So the swallows have recently found the most convenient place for themselves – the supports of the Millennium Bridge. Students of Kazan University work in this place – they observe and study the number of birds,” commented the scientist.