The Colony

by Catherine Johnson

I decided to let Barn Swallows build another nest on the upper deck of my house this year.  One group of three successfully flew away and stuck around as seen in the pictures of them on the power ines.    We were hoping we could clean the deck as it also holds my daughter’s mini greenhouse and a seating area. 

Mom had her second batch in a few days as seen in up close pics.  We hope to install a swallow nesting structure, but nothing  will be safer than where they are. We did add  a fan that blows air under the nest. 

Mom and Dad fed the first bunch on the power lines until they began to fly out to meet the parents and take the food. Then they hunted for short periods low to the ground and one day they flew away to find, I believe, the nearby pond.  They are back now with their parents overlooking the siblings and the new colony.