I visited a friend yesterday and walking up the driveway, I heard the loud racket of what sounded like dozens of birds. When I stood on the porch, they became silent. The din sounded like hungry nestlings, so I began to look around. There nestled in a high corner post of the porch ceiling was a mud nest with four little birds peeking over the edge. They were Barn Swallows.
These sparrow-sized birds are a familar sight diving and swooping in parks, fields, and over lakes, ponds and coastal waters. Barn Swallows feed on flying insects such as flies, moths, wasps, butterflies, beetles, and bees--catching them on the wing. Almost every day I see them gracefully soaring over the lake hunting insects, but I've never seen a Barn Swallow nest around my house.
Barn Swallows build nests mostly in human structures. Preferred sites include covered porches, eaves, rafters, and cross beams. Both the male and female build the nest. They gather mud in their beaks and mix it with grass to form pellets. Here is a close up of the building material--pellets of the signature Georgia red clay.
These four babies have their glossy juvenile feathers so they'll probably fledge soon. I'm so glad they were so noisy because who looks at the porch ceiling when you're visiting someone? Seeing well-behaved Barn Swallows in their nest is a treat I wouldn't want to miss.
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