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Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Over the past few weeks, the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has received numerous calls about barn swallows – and their nests, in particular.
Some area residents are upset about the mess below the swallows’ mud nests on porches and windows the birds leave, and some even want someone dispatched from the wildlife center to remove the swallows’ homes.
Not only does our staff not do that, it’s against the law to remove or destroy active nests of migratory songbirds because of stipulations in the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act that was promulgated in 1916 and made into law in 1918.
A beautiful bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a Neotropical migrant and calls the Texas South Plains home for a few months during spring and summer. They nest throughout the Northern Hemisphere and winter in Mexico and South America. Amazingly, a round trip migration may cover 14,000 miles.
About six inches long, the barn swallow has a tiny bill, bluish-black iridescent back and wings, a brown throat, tan breast and belly. It’s distinguished from other American swallows by its deeply forked tail.
Barn swallows build their mud nests in barns, abandoned buildings, cliff ledges or under bridges, and there’s usually water nearby. In urban areas they may choose real estate under a building ledge, arch of a house or under a covered patio where it is protected from rain. One requirement for a nest site is that they have unobstructed, easy access. Unlike their very social cousin the cliff swallow, barn swallow nests are generally isolated from each other.
Droppings underneath can be easily hosed away and some people use newspapers to catch some of the waste under active nests. By the time the swallows are two weeks old, the youngsters back up and defecate over the nest’s edge. The barn swallow’s nesting period is a short, 16-23 days, and the incubation period is about 15 days.
Very beneficial birds, they consume large quantities of insects, most while flying. They often follow tractors snapping up insects that are stirred up. When they’re raising a family, the parents are almost constantly on the wing, catching bugs to feed their ever-hungry offspring.
If swallows are flying and hunting near your home, your chances of attracting them are fair. They prefer unpainted rough-cut wood because the mud they use to construct their nests doesn’t adhere well to smooth surfaces. There’s usually little headspace above the nest.
Masters of aerial maneuvering, adults must catch insects every few minutes from dawn to dusk when they have four or five hungry offspring. Youngsters fledge when they’re about three weeks old. Barn swallows have two broods, and juveniles from the first brood will help feed the second. Nests will usually be occupied again in subsequent years if left alone.
One of my most memorable releases involved a barn swallow in spring 2005, and I’ll never forget the experience. Heading east on 82nd Street from Indiana Avenue around 5 p.m., I saw a tiny black shape on the opposite side of the road. I thought it was a dead bird, and the wing feathers were flapping because cars were zooming over it. Something told me not to ignore it, so I turned around, parked just off the street and ran out when there was a break in traffic. I snatched up the little body, buckled up and headed the final few minutes to home.
Suddenly I felt two tiny feet wrap around my little finger, and I was stunned that this half-ounce bird could be alive. Just as amazing, it had no injuries. After some quick supportive care for shock and two hours of watchful TLC, the bird’s eyes opened and it sat on a perch. Rather than prolong the stress of captivity, I decided to release it just before dusk when this species is most active, and out hawking insects.
Suddenly, as I took the bird into the backyard, holding it briefly so it could get oriented, its eyes opened wide, and the unspoken message clearly was, “Let me go … I’m all right, and I can fly.” With that, I slowly opened my hand, and, as if sprinting at the sound of a gunshot, the swallow dug into my palm with its feet and took wing, soaring over the roof and high into the air, aloft within moments. It was so gratifying to watch.
This was a very special rescue that told me I was definitely at the right place earlier, and at the right time. I suspect the swallow swooped down to the street to snag a bug, became grounded as air flow and cars sped over it, and had no choice but to lie there and wait for fate to take its course.
Do wildlife a favor and practice some short-lived tolerance. The mess of nesting barn swallows is temporary, and instead of focusing on the negative, you or your children can watch the family grow, develop and take off again for warmer climes come fall.
Next spring, if you decide not to invite barn swallows, remove bits of their nest every day as soon as building begins to discourage a pair from nesting at your location.
Visit National Wildlife Federations barn swallow page at http://www.nwf.org/birdsandglobalwarming/birdprofile.cfm?bird=Barn+Swallow to see a photo and read more interesting facts about these beautiful and interesting little birds. There’s also a great, comprehensive four-page report called “The Barn Swallow: Friend of the Farm” at http://extension.umd.edu/publications/PDFs/FS798.pdf that includes how to attract them. It includes barn swallow nest-box plans.
