Salt Lake Tribune, United States – Aug 17, 2014
By Lori Buttars
The Salt Lake Tribune
San Juan Capistrano it isn’t.
But the outdoor-garden center at Smith’s Marketplace on 3300 South and 3300 East has become a summer mecca for barn swallows.
“Unfortunately, they have a habit of pooping in high-traffic places and that has become a problem,” says Smith’s spokeswoman Marsha Gilford.
As the name “barn swallow” implies, dozens of the tiny birds – easily identified by their light-colored chests and long forked tails – have set up shop at the store. The birds have even built nests in the eaves of the outdoor shelter that covers the garden area. They are especially fond of the area closest to the building, including the walkway leading to the grocery store.
According to workers, the birds can be beneficial – and entertaining. Even though their nesting area is often white with droppings, the swallows are known to feast on flies and mosquitoes.
“I’ve seen nearly 10 pair and watched them fledge their young,” says Jack Nielsen, assistant manager of the home and garden center. “In the mornings, you can watch them snap bugs right out of the air. The customers love them. People bring their kids to see them.”
For some customers, though, the swallows have been tough to stomach.
“I got hit,” laughs Holladay resident Tammy Adams. “It wasn’t a big problem because I was wearing my gardening clothes, just embarrassing.”
Adams, however, cut her shopping trip short. That is a concern for store managers.
“It has happened several times,” Gilford says, “and we’ve had customers complain. And it’s become more of a problem because more and more birds are coming every year.”
Maggie Shoa, a horticulturist with the Utah State University
Advertisement
Extension
Service, says the conditions at the garden center are likely the draw for the swallows.
“They construct their nests out of mud, so they like to be near a good source of soil,” she says. “Water is also an attractant.”
Some customers were rattled when store workers removed some of the nests near the doorway. One wrote a letter to the editor pointing out that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act forbids removing occupied nests.
“I just don’t think people realize what they’ve got,” says bird aficionado Allan Daly. “These things eat copious amounts of mosquitoes. In a season known for West Nile Virus, these birds are beneficial.”
Gilford says store officials are taking a hands-off approach for the rest of the season. But the store may take Shoa’s advice and put up physical barriers in the corners of the shelter for next summer.
“We’d like to keep them in the areas over the plants and places that are easy to wash down,” Gilford says. “They do lend a sort of natural charm to the garden area.”
lorib@sltrib.com
