www.record-bee.com
By Terry Knight — Record-Bee outdoors columnist
Article Last Updated: 04/29/2014 11:39:22 PM PDT
Wildlife and fish have always amazed me. They are often born, live and die within a short distance from our homes and yet few of us know about their daily struggles just to survive. Unlike humans, a bird or deer can’t go to the doctor if they’re feeling ill or to the supermarket if they’re hungry.
One such bird that battles the elements to reach Lake County is the cliff swallow. This bird annually migrates to the county by the hundreds, yet few local residents understand how difficult it is for these little birds to fly here.
The cliff swallow is a tiny bird, weighing only a few ounces and is less than 6 inches long, yet it travels thousands of miles during its annual migration. The cliff swallow can be identified by its square tail, blue back and white forehead. Cliff swallows are considered “migratory birds” and spend the winter in South America. They start their migration north in the late winter or early spring. The famed swallows of the Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California are cliff swallows.
The swallows only migrate during daylight hours, the reason being that they have to feed as they fly. They feed on flying insects and they can catch even the smallest of insects. In fact, the start of swallow’s annual spring migration is based on the availability of insects.
Upon arriving at their selected nesting area they build nests beneath docks or beneath the eaves of buildings located near water. Often they return to the same nest from the previous year.
Their nests are gourd-shaped and made from mud and lined with feathers. The birds gather the mud by rubbing their chests and feet in the wet mud. The mud forms little balls and sticks to their chest and feet, which they then carry to the nest. One nest can contain up to 2,000 mud balls. The entrance to the nest always points downward. Both the female and male build the nest, which can take several days to complete.
They nest in colonies and some of the docks around the lake will hold up to a dozen or more nests. Bridges, such as the one that crosses Rodman Slough, are also popular nesting areas. The female lays from four to six white eggs. An unusual trait of the cliff swallow is that a female will often move her eggs into the nest of another swallow.
Both the male and female incubate the eggs, which hatch in 12 to 16 days. Within about 20 days after hatching the young are ready to fly.
After spending the summer in the county the swallows start their southward migration back to South America in late September. They are gone by mid-November.
Cliff swallows are either loved or hated depending on where they nest. They can be a problem for dock owners as they build mud nests beneath the roofs of the docks and on the sides of buildings that are located near the lake. The nests result in droppings and unwanted insects. There is even an insect called the “swallow bug” related to bed bugs.
Many dock owners around the lake install fine mesh nets around their docks to discourage the swallows from nesting. Some even go as far as to destroy the nests. Technically, because the swallow falls under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, destroying an active nest or harming the bird is illegal. In fact, it’s illegal to disturb a swallow that is sitting on eggs. But there are ways to prevent the swallows from becoming a pest. Most of the methods consist of preventing the birds from building nests in the first place.
A good example is the Bank of America branch in Lakeport. For years the swallows built their nests on the wall above the ATM machine. Needless to say, the bank’s customers weren’t happy with bird droppings falling on them. B of A built nest barriers above the ATM machine, which resulted in the birds moving to new locations. The result is that the bank’s customers are happy and the swallows haven’t been harmed.
Lake County also has a close relative of the cliff swallow in the barn swallow. Whereas occasionally a barn swallow builds a nest on a dock, most build their nests inland. Its long, forked tail easily identifies a barn swallow. The interesting fact about barn swallows is that the female selects her mate by the length of his tail.
Swallows are important in that they help control the insects. They are also fun to watch as they dart around the docks.
The swallows are just one of many species of birds visiting Lake County each year. Most of the time they go unnoticed by local residents, but the cliff swallow is one bird that is a rare treat.
