Barn Swallows
/The barn swallow nest under our deck earlier this summer failed (not sure what happened) but the second nest built above the deck on a brick wall visible through the glass paneled door to the deck appears to be successful. We avoid going out on the deck since the whole flock of swallows gets agitated and dive bombs into the area to protect the nest. Sometimes they get upset even if we go out on the floor below or are out in the back yard. My husband has set up a tripod and is capturing their antics through the glass door!
The adult birds come to feed their young. Note how the adult’s tail is used to stabilize its perch on the nest surface. The young are scruffy looking but feathers are beginning to appear.
Only 4 days later and the nest is overflowing with the 4 babies. They are beginning to look more like the adults…less down, more feathers. And they are always hungry.
My husband is already talking about what we will do once the young fledge and the nest is no longer occupied. There is a pile of bird poop below the nest…that will be the first to go…and then we’ll remove the nest itself. (reference: https://www.fws.gov/story/nuisance-swallows)
