Every year around the end of March/ beginning of April, we are graced with the presence of barn swallows. They come up from the warmer climate of California, build nests in the barn, lay their eggs, raise two broods of chicks, and leave in the fall.
They eat more than their fare share of bugs, especially mosquitoes so we love having them around. Plus they're pretty cute to look at and watching them swoop through the summer skies is such a blessing.
Unfortunately they like to nest over the light fixtures like this...
And although it is a spectacular thing to witness, they are REALLY messy!
Last year they took to nesting above our workshop area in the barn..
So this years project, before they come back, was to block off the area with chicken wire...
I also built new nest ledges for them in the same general area of the barn and wired off the light fixtures...
It was a really dirty job with cob webs and dust and required gloves and a mask especially when I took the old nests off the light fixtures.
Some years they would use an old nest and pile new moss and hay in it like this one...
Last year they built a new one...
What engineers they are to make something out of mud and hay!
And when I was taking down the last nest I found a little surprise in it...
An old unhatched egg from last year!
Imagine it sitting up there all winter and still in tact. Usually after the winter, old eggs become brittle and break to the touch but I reckon because it was nice and dry up there, it was better preserved...
Here's some pictures from last years clutch...first few days out of the nest...
I guess we'll wait and see if they like the new nest ledges...fingers crossed!
