They're baaaaaack!

[jeffashman]

They're noisy and they're messy, just like my family. I put up a nest for them last year, and they've returned. My dear barn swallows!
IMG_1415_edited-1 by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr
_MG_1413-1b by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr
_MG_1411-1b by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

 

[Susan Will]

Beautiful birds, love the nesting box you made for them.

 

[jeffashman]

Thank you!


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[joelbolden]

Nice shots! My neighbor has a big horse barn and they nest there every year.

 

[Jeff15]

Nice set.....

 

[Space Face]

Hopefully our Swallows, Swifts and Martins won't be too far off now. Alway a pleasure to see the heralds of summer.

 

[K9Kirk]

Nice looking birds.

 

[jeffashman]

Hopefully our Swallows, Swifts and Martins won't be too far off now. Alway a pleasure to see the heralds of summer.

The swallows live on the back patio, and if I can get approval from the HOA, I’ll put up a purple martin house in the back yard.


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[Space Face]

Hopefully our Swallows, Swifts and Martins won't be too far off now. Alway a pleasure to see the heralds of summer.

The swallows live on the back patio, and if I can get approval from the HOA, I’ll put up a purple martin house in the back yard.


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We used to have House Martins nesting on the apex of our peaked window at the front of our house. Haven't had them for a few years tho. Used to really hack me off to see folk hosing off their nests while the birds were building them.

 

[Soocom1]

Love em!

 

[terri]

Aren't they great? I love your homemade nesting area! Ours have just returned to the area (east of Atlanta). No nests yet; they're still arriving and swooping around, checking out the lay of the land.

But - ours return to this nest just outside my front door, year after year. They can't resist those weird columns. We wash around it once they've left for the season, but never touch it. It sits empty and forlorn all fall and winter.

This is from last spring:

Good luck! I hope you all have a crowded nest this year.

 

[jeffashman]

Aren't they great? I love your homemade nesting area! Ours have just returned to the area (east of Atlanta). No nests yet; they're still arriving and swooping around, checking out the lay of the land.

But - ours return to this nest just outside my front door, year after year. They can't resist those weird columns. We wash around it once they've left for the season, but never touch it. It sits empty and forlorn all fall and winter.

This is from last spring:

View attachment 205094


Good luck! I hope you all have a crowded nest this year.

That's a nice nest there! Last year was our first year in this house. The previous owner had knocked the nest down, and they were having a challenge rebuilding, so I put one up for them. I'll probably put up a second one, because a second family has showed up, and it can get a little crowded up in that corner. I'm also going to put up a shelf under the nests, with some sort of disposable tray or paper, to make cleaning up a little easier, and less messy on the ground underneath. I did notice one issue last year, late in the season a bluejay showed up and "kidnapped" one of the fledglings. I try to keep the feeder filled with sunflower seeds now, so that the jays will be content with that and not crave anything else.

 

[Winona]

We used to get 10 nests or so on our house, but only one last year. Maybe the starlings have chased them off as their numbers increased? Love that you guys are putting houses up!

 

[jeffashman]

We used to get 10 nests or so on our house, but only one last year. Maybe the starlings have chased them off as their numbers increased? Love that you guys are putting houses up!

We had a lot of Starlings this winter.