barn swallows – Nature Along the El Camino Real

Things Flying Over My Head

July 15, 2024July 15, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Sue Ann Kendall

This summer hasn’t been as bad in the heat and rain department as last summer, so I’m not complaining one bit. But there sure have been some interesting developments in the sky, many directly over my head.

hawk — *Some overhead things are cool, like this Red-tailed Hawk I got to listen to yesterday.*

I’ll start with the most interesting one. For the past week or two I’d been noticing a lot of honeybees around my legs. It seemed like the earth was buzzing. Upon closer examination, I saw dozens of bees crawling on the tiny blossoms of the grass (I think it’s Dallis grass) that is blooming now. The bees were all very busy, zipping from flower to flower (not leisurely sipping as they usually do), and they were loaded with pollen.

*My lame attempts at photographing zippy bees.*

This went on for a few days. Yesterday, there was no buzzing as I walked along the field in my daily bird-watching patrol. Then, late in the afternoon I was over by the trees listening to a Yellow-billed Cuckoo when I heard something that sounded like one of those annoying drones people fly these days. I looked up and didn’t see a drone. I saw a large mass of tiny things moving along at a rapid clip. It was hundreds and hundreds of bees swarming. I guess they were moving on to better pastures. I’m not sure where their hive was before, because I hadn’t heard one in a couple of years. I hope they find a nice new dead tree!

*FAKE NEWS! The blog software generated this image when I asked for “swarm of flying bees.” I don’t think they actually swarm in a giant ball.*

Moving along, I’ve also been dealing with birds overhead, specifically the beautiful but omnipresent Barn Swallows. Now, normally they hang out on our porches, building mud nests, raising babies and pooping. They also eat numerous insects, so they get to stay (also it’s ILLEGAL to mess with a nest of wild birds; you can ask Mike Mitchell about it if you don’t believe me). We coexist just fine, looking into or out of the windows at each other, and enjoying the swimming pool area.

However, lately, the little darlings have not been at all happy with me. They aren’t nesting anymore, just flying around the ponds and in the air catching food. They are always there, and for some reason they resent my presence. When I go for my morning or afternoon walks, I often hear a very loud CHIRP, with a Doppler effect as the chirper moves away. The swallows ambush me from behind, for the most part, but occasionally they fly right at me and veer off just before they make contact with my head.

There are so many!

I have absolutely no clue as to why they are dive-bombing me. I’ve had Mockingbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds do this when they are nesting nearby. But, hey, do they think I want to home in on their mosquitos?

*Creepy? Why, yes, it is. Never trust AI to draw an insect. Or a horse. They always have five legs.*

Other things in the sky have been more benign. I was a bit surprised to see both Black and Turkey Vultures in the air and in my trees until I realized the Mighty Hunter (Goldie the Great Dane) had eliminated yet another armadillo that had wandered into the fenced-in area. I wish they’d read my signs that say “Armadillos and Possums: Keep out! Killer Dog! This means YOU!”

*All real vultures in real trees and the real sky. Left is Black Vulture looking like it’s skulking, middle are Turkey Vultures pretending to be Christmas ornaments.*

Other flying friends include the usual Green Herons, Great Blue Herons, and Great Egrets, along with some hardy butterflies and a smaller-than-usual number of dragonflies. I’m going to pretend the flying Differential grasshoppers don’t exist.

Yep, the skies around here are busy. Always look up in case bees or swallows are coming for you!

*It looks so peaceful out there…but it’s NOT!*

The Colony

July 11, 2024 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

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.

What about Barn Swallows?

July 7, 2023July 7, 2023 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall2 Comments

by Sue Ann Kendall

We hear a lot about purple martins (Progne subis) in this blog, since our Chapter member Donna Lewis is a dedicated observer of their lives and activities as she supports them by providing structures to nest in.

There are other types of swallows in Milam County, though, as most residents have most certainly noticed. Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) are commonly found around our homes and also depend on humans for a little help with their nests. I have some of each bird on my property, but my few purple martins nest in abandoned holes in dead trees that we have left standing. I didn’t know we had them until recently, when my handy Merlin Bird ID app noted their song, then I actually saw a pair. So, I guess purple martins do nest in the “wild” at least a little here.

*Here’s a purple martin photo by ME, from a structure in Temple, Texas.*

But what about the barn swallows? Why aren’t they beloved by all, like purple martins? After all, they are quite beautiful with their shiny navy-blue bodies and striking rust-colored breast markings. And they eat lots and lots of flying insects and provide lots of entertainment while they do so. It’s like a swirling circus act when they’re all out hunting around sunset.

One reason people aren’t fond of them is that their nesting behavior doesn’t fit in with most suburban folks’ ideas of neat and tidy “curb appeal” for their homes. Barn swallows do nest in barns, when available, but they also nest under bridges (the same kind the Mexican freetail bats nest in), and, of course, people’s houses.

*Swallow parent dodging hideous sparrow nest to go to her lovely mud nest.*

When I lived in suburban Round Rock, many neighbors either invited people to come in through their garages or spent lots of time getting very messy trying to remove barn swallow nests. Many of the homes had two-story entrances, which swallows (cliff swallows, too) just loved to build their mud nests in. They also loved to shove baby bird poop out of those nests and onto people’s fancy potted plants or outdoor furniture. I will spare you a photo of swallow poop, since you have probably seen some.

Luckily, I don’t live in the Meadows of Brushy Creek on a crowded cul-de-sac anymore. And I am happy to let barn swallows build all the nests they want to around our house, which has many porch sites to choose from. After all, there is only one population of barn swallows left that still uses caves to nest in, and that’s in California, according to All About Birds.

Our birds have just finished raising their second set of nestlings since they arrived from South America in the spring. I noticed a couple of the nests had three adults feeding babies, and that turns out to be a common practice. The helpers were probably babies from the first clutch.

As the babies grew and grew (this is a very loud period on our porches), they began to have a hard time fitting in the nests. We always wondered which day would be the one when they’d fledge. Last week, I was happy to find two of them sitting on the light fixture where their dad usually hung out. Two others looked very un-ready to fly, but by the next day, everyone was swooping around with abandon.

Here’s a funny thing about these birds. The whole time they have been nesting, they have completely ignored us humans and the dogs as we go in and out of the house, sit on the porch, or swim in the pool. But, after the birds had spread out and were practicing their skills, they started dive-bombing me when I went into the back yard or over to the horse pens. Each time they got to my head they’d make a sound, and I swear as they zoomed back up, there was a Doppler effect. It was really cool, but there was no way I could get a photo, since they always surprised me.

Another local resident that likes to dive bomb humans is the red-winged blackbird (*Agelaius phoeniceus*). Luckily, they hang out in the willows, far from me.

I am seeing fewer and fewer barn swallows this week. It’s time for them to head off to their non-breeding lands way to the south now that the young ones know how to fend for themselves. They will return in late January or early February. I’ll soon be able to power wash the porches and other poopy areas and enjoy the clean surfaces for six months. (It’s been recommended to put newspaper under nests, but that would not last long at the Hermits’ Rest, wind capital of Milam County.)

Another Nest or Two

I tell my family we are running an aviary, since house sparrows have been nesting away on the porch this year, too. I guess we were lucky they didn’t find us until this year. They are really chirpy and poopy and not native. But the nests are funny.

This mess is a sparrow nest converted from a swallow nest. The sparrows have to add their own special touches.

The nest of our third porch-dwelling species, the Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) – also known as my favorite small bird – is much cuter and more fun to watch. These wrens are well known for building nests near human habitations in odd places. We have had families in an old grill, in numerous hanging plants, and in a watering can, to name a few spots. Our current pair have taken up residence in the box that is supposed to hold the pool remote control. I had set a few other items in there to keep the wind from blowing them away, though, and this made the box irresistible to wrens.

*The box, with remote control in front of it. Note lots of grass. That’s nest material.*

I went to clean out the box and put the remote control back in and was faced by one of my most beloved sights, an angry wren. Oops. I backed off, and we are now giving the growing family their space. The eggs have hatched (I peeked and saw two), so now the parents are taking over from the swallows and putting on a show for us patio dwellers. The pace at which those guys catch bugs and take them to the nest is impressive. We are looking forward to more pretty, fun, and melodic wrens in the near future.

Honestly, I don’t know how anyone can get bored around here!