I have to say that I, personally, am a big fan of Darwin. The man was a giant among scientists, and the way in which he amassed evidence for his theories, and tested them in every way he could, is exemplary.

Few theories, in any branch of science, stand the test of time completely unaltered. That doesn’t mean that they become wrong, only that, as we learn more, we learn where they have limits, or where they need modification for special circumstances. Darwins’ theories of evolution of life is among those that have stood the test of time. While it’s possible that it may not be the complete answer in every circumstance, it has been tested time and again, and so far, nothing has been found that proves it wrong. So it’s definitely fair to say, after 150 years of examination, that it’s as true a theory as we could ever hope for.

What would it mean if something happened that didn’t fit Darwinian evolution? Would that mean we would have to throw out the whole theory, that it would all be wrong? Not necessarily. Newtons’ theory of gravity was not wrong because Einstein discovered relativity, rather Einstein simply showed that Newton’s theory did not apply everywhere, and that under certain circumstances, a correction was needed. So it’s fair to say that Newton’s theory is still true, as is Einsteins, but that they apply to different ranges of conditions. That’s all science asks of any theory, that it works under certain, known conditions.

I guess choosing a home is as serious a task for house martins as it is for us humans! I read somewhere that they are very gregarious, so perhaps just seeing the nest you put up led them to believe it was a good neighbourhood in which to raise a family.

I don’t have any house martins nesting on my home, much as I’d love to see some. However, I can fully understand you not wanting them to nest above your back door!

I’m glad my post was useful for you and your son! Darwin wrote on a great number of topics, http://darwin-online.org.uk/ has all his books. One day, when I have time, I want to read a lot more of his work. He really had an amazing scientific mind.

A really great post – I keep on finding gems on your blog.

We tried a similar thing here in the UK using a synthetic clay ‘nest’ bolted up in the eaves of the house.

The objective was to try and encourage the house martins not to nest above our back door.

It kind of worked because the HM’s built their nest directly alongside the prebuilt one.

I guess they like the challenge of building rather than just occupying one.

Rob