House sparrows frequently attempt to take over the nest during construction, with the house martins rebuilding elsewhere if they are successful.
Woodpeckers visit the garden every day, house martins nest under the eaves and kingfishers live down by the river.
Among the wildlife species found there are butterflies, dragonflies, kestrels, swallows and house martins.
As a group, the house martins can not easily be confused with any other swallows.
It uses similar open habitats on the wintering grounds, but the common house martin is less conspicuous than wintering barn swallows, tending to fly higher and be more nomadic.
The martlet, often believed to refer to the house martin, or possibly a swallow, was a heraldic bird with short tufts of feathers in the place of legs.
More than 40 beetle species have been recorded in common house martin nests, but most are either typical of the locality or found in the nests of other birds.
It also frequently nests on large buildings such as temples and bridges, but not to the same extent as the common house martin.
