Barn Swallows-true story

dbernie · May 20, 2011

My corn crib is a machine shed now, spend alot of time out there, even if just sittin.
Barn Swallows nest in there every spring.
They are used to me bein around, and sometimes when just sittin,
I'll whistle and talk softly to them, they will jump down a little lower, and chirp back at me--back and forth.
Anyway, this mornin', sittin in the kitchen, birds startin to get around about daybreak. Shortly after, I keep hearin' alot of squawkin and chirpin at my kitchen window--50+ degrees out, had the windows open.
Eventually, I walk over to the window to see what all the noise is about,
(kept seein birds buzzin the window, too.)
Get to the window, and a barn swallow just kind of hovers there, chirpin up a storm at me through the window screen.
I thought for a moment, then put my boots on, walked out, opened the corn crib door a couple feet wide. Before I got back to the house, I saw three barn swallows flyin into the corn crib through the door I had just opened.
Take from that what you will, but I honestly think they were askin me to open the door. Never had anymore squawkin/chirpin and Barn Swallows buzzin the kitchen window after that.
I'm still amazed, just thought I'd share.
Call me crazy if you want to... :lol:

Anonymous-0 · May 20, 2011

One place where I used to work I ate lunch at a picnic table under some trees whenever the weather was good. If I was alone a little sparrow came every day and would stand on the table to eat bread crumbs and squawk at me if he ran out of crumbs. If anyone else was at the table the bird would fly over the table and not land. This went on until I retired.

snoop-nc · May 20, 2011

NOT crazy at all...it is amazing just how much "communication" there can be between the various forms of life.

I had one of those wood type bumble bees hanging around me a couple weeks ago when I was splitting wood. Never got in my face, etc....just hanging around like he/she was "just visiting". I even "backed off" to see what it would do...came to conclusion it was curious and wanted to visit.

Rick

cole in mo. · May 20, 2011

No, you're not crazy, I have about the same thing, my shop is 32x40, 10 ft eves and no ceiling. 5 years ago early spring I had the overhead doors open working on a tractor. Kept seeing swallows flying in and out, a few days later I found out why. 3 nests were being built on top of the rafters, since then have watched 2 litters of new swallows fly out the door a year. Like you, I don't bother them, only gotta make sure I don't park anyting under the nests, most times I leave the back door open when I quit for the night, a few time I forgot and shut it, the next morning they were sitting on my porch railing. They never sit there unless the shop doors are shut.

dbernie · May 20, 2011

Yep, they've been flying in and out of the corn crib all day, building nests.
I normally leave that door open for them for the nesting season--guess they were lettin me know they were ready to start buildin, :lol:

On Edit--forgot to mention: yep, I learned about leavin things under the nests, OOPS, kinda messy...now I TRY to remember to lay a piece of cardboard there. Makes for easy cleanup once the young ones are out of the nest.

cole in mo. · May 20, 2011

This swallows post brings up something I had forgotten. I've got this friend, I guess you could call him the meanist man on the planet. He bought a place that had his humoungus barn that was just full of swallows nests. He didn't like then being there, and with a stick knocked all the nests down, most had eggs in them.

hoof print · May 20, 2011

My dad had a barn owl that would roost in the rafters of his shop. For years that owl would return and roost in the rafters, sleep all day while he was working below. That owl never seemed to mind the noise and commotion in the bays below. He left a window open year-round for the owl to come and go.

After Dad died, the owl left and was never seen again. I still leave the window open, just in case. I keep hoping one of these days when I open the shop doors there will be an owl in the rafters.

Motorcraftman · May 20, 2011

I believe every word of it... Birds are very Intelligent, and remember alot of peoples Routines... I enjoy it myself!! larry KF4LKU

60 acre hillside · May 20, 2011

Was your dad Jerome Increase Case? If he was, the owl's name was Old Abe. Tractor related

fixerupper · May 20, 2011

Swallows must have awfully good eyesight to see a little bug and then catch it while it's zipping through the air. Used to enjoy watching them catch bugs while they followed the baler and rack while we were baling hay.

There is only one place they are not allowed on this farm and that's in the porch. I put little bags of mothballs on top of the porch lights so they won't build there. Otherwise they can have free range of the farm. Jim

36 Coupe · May 20, 2011

When I go out in the morning the barn swallows fly around my head very close.It took me a while to figure out the birds were after me to open the big door on the barn.After the door is open they never fly close to me.One of my book customers from NY stopped for a vist and said the barn swallows on his farm bother him until he opens the barn door.He has a tractor shed with an open front but they never nest in there.

bison · May 20, 2011

I had a couple barn swallows raising a brood on a fluorecent light in my shop on the same nest tree years in a row.
they where there waiting for me to open the door every morning, zipping around and chirping like mad.They would almost part my hair in their haste to get outside.Finally i just left the door overnight open a crack .

i would be working right under them,the light was only 10 ft high.It never seemed to scare them.
I just had to watch the droppings from the younguns.LOL
They where a lot of fun having around sitting there on a extension cord over my work bench chittering away.

aurora · May 20, 2011

Old Abe was an eagle

DownSouth · May 20, 2011

No sir, you are not crazy. Birds as most animals are smarter than most people give them credit for.
Our Peaccok who is free to roam whereve he wishes prefers dry cat food over most other food (other than ripening tomatos on the vine, that's another story) and since we have cats he will chase them away as he doesn't want them getting his food. Now the amazing part is he has altered one of his calls (they are very loud if you have never heard one) to sound just exactly like a cat meowing, but about 10 times louder. When we have kittens around they actually will come to him, but of course he just chases them away.
Also my Dad lives in a mobile home park and he has a hummingbird feeder on his front porch. When it's empty, the hummers fly motionless in front of his front window and screen door as if they are looking in to let him know. Yep, he sees them and makes a new batch and refills it. Sometimes several times a day this happens, so he can stay busy at times!
Here is a picture of our peacock (his name is Pepe, and he's about 15 years old now) eating his cat food. He also figured out if he leaves his feathers up (for the part of the year he has them) the cats won't even come close. They can vibrate them to attract the peahens, but that sound really scares the cats. Sounds similar to a rattle snake rattle.

MSD · May 20, 2011

Saw a show on TV once where they would fly in front of the doors
of a Home Depot store and trigger the automatic opener so they
could nest inside.

ErnieD · May 20, 2011

We had a ventilation fan in the stable with automatic louvers that would open when the fan was on. I watched a number of times birds fly through the fan with it running. Only 1 time was there a pile of feathers where a bird was a little slow.

Paul from MI · May 20, 2011

Dad used to nail pieces of scrap wood tot he bottom of the ceiling joists in the tractor shed so the swallows would have good places to build nests. Sure was a lot of bird sh!t on his car and tractor, but he didn't care. He didn't have many mosquitoes either.

tjdub · May 21, 2011

My Grandpa always treated swallows like royalty. He was always warning me as a kid never to break a swallow nest no matter where it is or how old it is. I remember asking if it was "bad luck" or something and he just laughed and said it was worse than luck it was bad common sense.

Over the past 10 years or so we've had cliff swallows moving in. I had a colony living on the side of my barn for a couple of years but they've moved to greener pastures to a road bridge nearby. I'll just say that watching a swarm of them following you when you're mowing hay is truly something to behold!

Don-Wi · May 21, 2011

Last year I happened to look up one night after mowing the lawn, and there must have been 50 swallows all sitting on the wire to the barn and to my garage. I was just amazed by it.

I was cutting one time and saw a white moth off to my side, and the next thing I know a streak flew past and it was just gone. At home on the farm there must be over a dozen barn swallow nests in the barn right now, and we just learn to not set the milk bucket underneath when milking. Always come back around the 1st week of May (Brother's Birthday) and leave in the end of August (Grandpa's Birthday).

Always enjoy watching them swoop and play

Donovan from Wisconsin

2x4 · May 21, 2011

our peahens favor the catfood over all else too. Had to feed the cats under the workbench so p-hens won't eat their catfood too. Have to shove it far under there or they'll stretch that long neck under there, grab the pan with their beak & pull it out! Hey, birds think!

LeonardWD45 · May 21, 2011

Not I have a swallows, but at my house here in Tacoma I have a robin sitting on three eggs in a rhode bush at the corner of my house. Pretty neat. When I go out I stand back and say hello to her every morning.

Leonard

36 Coupe · May 21, 2011

I mowed and raked a small field for a friend.An Eagle showed up when the tractor was running each day.

ohiojim · May 21, 2011

i had swallows in my garage attached to the house, couldn't figure how they was gettin in, after watching them for a while i saw they were comeing in through the dog door i had cut in bottom of the door, been there for 3 years now

Billy NY · May 21, 2011

I'm at war with them right now, I have to keep knocking down the nests to get em to build elsewhere, 2 other barns would be fine, not the aisle and over the horse stalls, I used to let em be, too much birdcrap, on you, feed buckets, water buckets, stall framing, just wish they would nest out of the way.

Last week of April they arrive, you could set a calendar by it. They are amazing birds, not very afraid of things, and who knows what the insect population would be without em, but they are relentless nesters, no stopping them when there is mud everywhere, mixed with old hay, perfect nest material. It's fun to watch them build these, but we have way too many of them.

dhermesc · May 21, 2011

I've found once they decide to build a nest somewhere you can't stop them. I've tried everything from knocking down the nests on a daily basis to putting kian pepper in the nest to burn their butt when they squat in it (that really seemed to tick them off).

Now I just chase them out and use an old 12 gauge to knock them out of the sky.

buickanddeere · May 21, 2011

I like them at let them nest just about anywhere.
wife hates them and vic versa. They dive bomb her
every time she ventures outdoors.

1936 · May 22, 2011

Peaccocks are every where in europe. Stand flat footed and fly over most building - Noise was unreal for a bird.

Swallows are just a protected and wild ducks, any song bird falls into this area.

The owl story was touching.

Barn Swallows-true story

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