Observations or information from other landlords would be appreciated.
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
Barn Swallows and Martins, Good Buddies?
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Guest
Gary and I love our evening ritual. We toast to the sunset and watch the martins soar in for the night. Barn Swallows have been joining the croud of martins as they are soaring high in the evenings. As the martins circle lower and lower to come home, the swallows chatter, flap their wings and play with each other in the middle of the martin flock. They follow the martins all the way to our gourds and seem disappointed to see their buddies go in for the night. The martins don't seem to mind and seem to be circling and in a way playing with them.
Observations or information from other landlords would be appreciated.
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
Observations or information from other landlords would be appreciated.
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
We have a lot of barn swallows here, as well. I watched some this evening doing just what you described. I would love to host some barn swallows as well. I found a website where you can buy premade barn swallows nests attached to a board, ready to put on a wall. I have a 2 story house and getting prefab nests up would be no easy task, but I'd sure like to have them around. Swallows have got to be the bird world's greatest aerial acrobats. It sure looks like fun...
Enjoy them this year,
Patrick
Enjoy them this year,
Patrick
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Guest
Patrick....could you post that website address? I would love to attract them and have nests nearby!
Regards,
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
Regards,
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
Sue,
Well, I'm having trouble sending the link but let me give you directions. It's very easy to fine. Go to google.com and type in barn swallow nests. It's the first website on the list...Let me know if you need more information. And good luck!!
Patrick
Well, I'm having trouble sending the link but let me give you directions. It's very easy to fine. Go to google.com and type in barn swallow nests. It's the first website on the list...Let me know if you need more information. And good luck!!
Patrick
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Guest
Both the barn swallows and tree swallows are wonderfully gregarious little birds. I especially enjoy the tree swallows that take up residence in many of the bluebird swallows on our 20+ house bluebird trail. They swoop and dive around us and chatter when we walk every morning and they will sit on top of their houses and churttle at us when we approach.
Since we have not yet established a martin colony (difficult to do in our part of Michigan) the tree swallows are the only interaction we get with birds of the swallow family.
We have seen barn swallows around the yard and they have on occasion flown into our pole barn when the overhead door was open. Unfortunately, the barn is usually closed up and has no appreciable overhang where the barnies can nest. I am seriously considering adding a drive under open sided roof on one side of the barn specifically to accommodate nesting barn swallows.
When we have had martin scouts visit our martin houses for the day we have seen the tree swallows dive bomb the martins. Once the martins have ducked a few times I think they stop taking them seriously and ignore the pretend attacks. This does not discourage the tree swallows who I believe enjoy the little game. The swallows perform similar little games with the bluebirds. The only time I have witnessed what I consider to be truly aggressive dive bombing by the tree swallows is when I am conducting nest checks in their nesting boxes. Their areobatic antics are so close then that you can hear them clicking their beaks and you can feel (imaginary) a new part in your hair.
It seems to me that all members of the swallow family are friendly towards us flight-impaired buzzards. Their joyful and boisterous demeanor is certainly infectious.
Jeff Nelson
Since we have not yet established a martin colony (difficult to do in our part of Michigan) the tree swallows are the only interaction we get with birds of the swallow family.
We have seen barn swallows around the yard and they have on occasion flown into our pole barn when the overhead door was open. Unfortunately, the barn is usually closed up and has no appreciable overhang where the barnies can nest. I am seriously considering adding a drive under open sided roof on one side of the barn specifically to accommodate nesting barn swallows.
When we have had martin scouts visit our martin houses for the day we have seen the tree swallows dive bomb the martins. Once the martins have ducked a few times I think they stop taking them seriously and ignore the pretend attacks. This does not discourage the tree swallows who I believe enjoy the little game. The swallows perform similar little games with the bluebirds. The only time I have witnessed what I consider to be truly aggressive dive bombing by the tree swallows is when I am conducting nest checks in their nesting boxes. Their areobatic antics are so close then that you can hear them clicking their beaks and you can feel (imaginary) a new part in your hair.
It seems to me that all members of the swallow family are friendly towards us flight-impaired buzzards. Their joyful and boisterous demeanor is certainly infectious.
Jeff Nelson
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Sharon - Central TX
- Posts: 696
- Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:20 pm
- Location: Central TX
- Martin Colony History: All Troyer Horizontal Gourds with Conley Entrances
PMCA Member since 2004
We have our returning pair of Barnies rebuilding their nest on our front porch as I type. I love having them. They are such enchanting little birds and their chatter is adorable. They are quite used to us now as they have built on our front porch and our back porch in the past. They are tremendously hard workers, flying to and from the lake to gather their mud to build their nest. It takes them two weeks or better.
They have become so friendly that they allow us to walk right under them as they perch on our porch fans! When the wind blows, the fan blades move like a merry go round with them sitting there going around in circles :-).
Their babies are about the cutest I have ever seen (excluding Chickadees).
We did buy a pre-fab nest this year in case they tried building right over the corner of our front door as one pair did last year. We would have tried to discourage them and put the pre-fab nest in a better place had they started building there again this year but they chose a good spot on the far end of the porch where people don't walk. You can go to a website and purchase the prefabs or get them at Wild Birds Unlimited.
Sharon
They have become so friendly that they allow us to walk right under them as they perch on our porch fans! When the wind blows, the fan blades move like a merry go round with them sitting there going around in circles :-).
Their babies are about the cutest I have ever seen (excluding Chickadees).
We did buy a pre-fab nest this year in case they tried building right over the corner of our front door as one pair did last year. We would have tried to discourage them and put the pre-fab nest in a better place had they started building there again this year but they chose a good spot on the far end of the porch where people don't walk. You can go to a website and purchase the prefabs or get them at Wild Birds Unlimited.
Sharon
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Dale Hrncirik
Sharon,
We had a pair for several years at our house in Wylie. They got to be so tame just like yours. I got a kick out of the 'Don King' hairdo when they were around 10 days old
I miss those little guys!
Dale
We had a pair for several years at our house in Wylie. They got to be so tame just like yours. I got a kick out of the 'Don King' hairdo when they were around 10 days old
I miss those little guys!Dale
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Sharon - Central TX
- Posts: 696
- Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:20 pm
- Location: Central TX
- Martin Colony History: All Troyer Horizontal Gourds with Conley Entrances
PMCA Member since 2004
Dale,
Thank you for posting that picture. It is great!!! Now others on the forum that have never seen them can see why we love them so much :-).
Sharon
Thank you for posting that picture. It is great!!! Now others on the forum that have never seen them can see why we love them so much :-).
Sharon
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Guest
Great Photo!
I have a pair of barn swallows that think they are martins. We have rolling hurricane shutters above our living room windows creating a ledge. For the last few days the barn swallows have been sitting on the ledge chortling and looking at the martins. They now are accustomed to my going and coming on the deck. If something spooks the martins they fly away with them and are the first to return. I once heard them make a funny little call and all the martins came back immediately!.....Hmmmm
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
I have a pair of barn swallows that think they are martins. We have rolling hurricane shutters above our living room windows creating a ledge. For the last few days the barn swallows have been sitting on the ledge chortling and looking at the martins. They now are accustomed to my going and coming on the deck. If something spooks the martins they fly away with them and are the first to return. I once heard them make a funny little call and all the martins came back immediately!.....Hmmmm
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
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Dale Hrncirik
Patrick,
It was by chance that we got the barnies in Wylie but we had a good size covered patio on the south side of our house. That nest in the pic was only maybe 10' from the backdoor which I frequented. They look for a place sheltered from the rain and will build usually in a corner and almost to the ceiling. We haven't added a covered patio onto our place in Allen but I want to especially to make it attractive to the barnies. They were always great to have, very cheery, would often wake you up in the early am with their chatter. I'm an early riser so it didn't matter to me. They use the same nest just like the martins and would raise two broods most every year. Hope you can attract them...they are great to have around!
Dale
It was by chance that we got the barnies in Wylie but we had a good size covered patio on the south side of our house. That nest in the pic was only maybe 10' from the backdoor which I frequented. They look for a place sheltered from the rain and will build usually in a corner and almost to the ceiling. We haven't added a covered patio onto our place in Allen but I want to especially to make it attractive to the barnies. They were always great to have, very cheery, would often wake you up in the early am with their chatter. I'm an early riser so it didn't matter to me. They use the same nest just like the martins and would raise two broods most every year. Hope you can attract them...they are great to have around!
Dale
Last edited by Dale Hrncirik on Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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1 Ron Vasser
- Posts: 584
- Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 8:26 pm
- Location: Georgia/Rome
We have 6 to 8 pairs in the horse barn each year. Here is a pic. of the babies with the Don King look.
The second pic. is a nest with a tree swallow that is being raised by the barnies. The sorry sparrows got in the TS gourd and killed 5 of the babies and I put the last one in this nest. This was 14 days after he was put in the nest. They all fledged the next day.
The second pic. is a nest with a tree swallow that is being raised by the barnies. The sorry sparrows got in the TS gourd and killed 5 of the babies and I put the last one in this nest. This was 14 days after he was put in the nest. They all fledged the next day.
Ron
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TreeGreenwood
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:27 pm
- Location: Virginia/Catlett
I've been fortunate enough to host Tree and Barn Swallows plus Chimney Swifts as well as Purple Martins. The Barnies nest in an inaccessible part of the barn. It would take me a full day to move all the junk stored up top to get a view of them. I leave a large window open for them to go in and out. Pairs of Tree Swallows nest with my Bluebirds and help protect the Martin housing from others of their kind that might try to take over a cavity. The old masonary chimney in the center of our house is walled up, unused for over 30 years except as a Chimney Swift home. Until last summer, we usually had a second pair of Chimney Swifts nest in the barn's chimney. It wasn't used last year.
I see all the swallows and swifts mixin it up at my neighbor's diary farm at milking time. The herd stirs up a cloud of insects, especially for the evening feeding. All of the aerial insectivores dive through the cloud of bugs, gorging themselves. Over my place, they separate by altitude, the Barnies sweeping the ground, the Tree Swallows darting about at head high, the swifts just a bit overhead and the Martins high in the air. I enjoy all of them, especially the Barnies that follow me when I'm mowing and the Tree Swallows that zoom around my head to gobble up the mosquitoes and gnats that I attract while I'm watching the Martins come in for the night. It does take a bit of time to get used to Tree Swallows flying right toward your face to snatch a gnat out of the air, then veer off just inches from your nose.
My Martins, Tree Swallows and Chimney Swifts all go to bed just after the sun sets. When they have babies to feed, my Barn Swallows will often stay out and collect insects attracted to the floodlights on the back of the barn. They don't seem to have any trouble navigating through the pitch black interior of the barn late at night.
I see all the swallows and swifts mixin it up at my neighbor's diary farm at milking time. The herd stirs up a cloud of insects, especially for the evening feeding. All of the aerial insectivores dive through the cloud of bugs, gorging themselves. Over my place, they separate by altitude, the Barnies sweeping the ground, the Tree Swallows darting about at head high, the swifts just a bit overhead and the Martins high in the air. I enjoy all of them, especially the Barnies that follow me when I'm mowing and the Tree Swallows that zoom around my head to gobble up the mosquitoes and gnats that I attract while I'm watching the Martins come in for the night. It does take a bit of time to get used to Tree Swallows flying right toward your face to snatch a gnat out of the air, then veer off just inches from your nose.
My Martins, Tree Swallows and Chimney Swifts all go to bed just after the sun sets. When they have babies to feed, my Barn Swallows will often stay out and collect insects attracted to the floodlights on the back of the barn. They don't seem to have any trouble navigating through the pitch black interior of the barn late at night.
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Glen Webb Jr
- Posts: 478
- Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:03 pm
- Location: Illinois/Stewardson
That first photo of the baby barnies has to be one of the cutest images ever! Barn swallows really are special little guys.
Swallows are my particularly favorite family of birds. I remember even as a kid I thought there was something awesome about those birds. I only have tree swallows and martins nesting in my yard. There are so many farms in the area though that there is no shortage of barn swallows. Every year for the last 3 years or so a pair of rough-winged swallows has nested in an old abandoned home across the road so I basically am charmed with 4 swallow species feeding and chirping in my yard during the spring and summer months. It's just beautiful to see all those birds dipping and diving at every height possible in the that big blue sky above.
Swallows are my particularly favorite family of birds. I remember even as a kid I thought there was something awesome about those birds. I only have tree swallows and martins nesting in my yard. There are so many farms in the area though that there is no shortage of barn swallows. Every year for the last 3 years or so a pair of rough-winged swallows has nested in an old abandoned home across the road so I basically am charmed with 4 swallow species feeding and chirping in my yard during the spring and summer months. It's just beautiful to see all those birds dipping and diving at every height possible in the that big blue sky above.
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Guest
We had a pair of barnies who nested on our patio cover and returned every year when we were in TX. I was hoping to attract some to our barn here in KY. I am going to try some of those artificial nests from the website mentioned in an earlier post. My first martin returned this morning and has been soaring aoround the houses, chirping and calling!!! I see a pair of tree swallows checking out my gourd I set up for them. Now if I can get bluebirds in my bluebird gourds and attract some barnies!!
suegary
At my last place I had Martins and several Barn Swallows, they got along well. Lots more Barnies than Martins. At first I was making platforms as mentioned in other post on this thread. I was monitoring the nest. There got to be so many, Barnies, that I got so all I was doing for the Barnies to make a nest was take two or three 16 penny nails and driving them in the sides of haymou(sp) boards at about 2 inchs apart in a straight row about 5 inches below the floorboard. All they need is something to start laying the mud against. Hope this helps.
At my last place I had Martins and several Barn Swallows, they got along well. Lots more Barnies than Martins. At first I was making platforms as mentioned in other post on this thread. I was monitoring the nest. There got to be so many, Barnies, that I got so all I was doing for the Barnies to make a nest was take two or three 16 penny nails and driving them in the sides of haymou(sp) boards at about 2 inchs apart in a straight row about 5 inches below the floorboard. All they need is something to start laying the mud against. Hope this helps.
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CurtWelling
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Versailles, KY
Here is one source for barnie nest cups.
http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/per/nestord.htm
I don't believe the PMCA sells these. I have bought several from this fellow but my barnies have not moved back yet.
We remodeled a 200+ year old house starting in the summer of 2004. Barnies had been nesting in the basement and the shed of this old house. We remodeled the house and tore down the shed. I put up gobs of nest cups but the barnies abandoned the site. Hopefully I'll get some back this year.
When I did have barnies, I never saw them interact with the martins in any way. I thought it was very strange, they both seemed to completely ignore the other species.
http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/per/nestord.htm
I don't believe the PMCA sells these. I have bought several from this fellow but my barnies have not moved back yet.
We remodeled a 200+ year old house starting in the summer of 2004. Barnies had been nesting in the basement and the shed of this old house. We remodeled the house and tore down the shed. I put up gobs of nest cups but the barnies abandoned the site. Hopefully I'll get some back this year.
When I did have barnies, I never saw them interact with the martins in any way. I thought it was very strange, they both seemed to completely ignore the other species.
Curt Welling
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Guest
Again, thanks to you all for some great stories and information.
Treegreenwood: What a wonderful situation you have! Your description is so vivid I was there watching those little beauties swoop near my face.
When I was a kid living on a farm we used to have outside lights near the barn and I remember swallows swooping at bugs in the lights at night also.
Curtwelling: I plan to order some nest cups today!!! Thanks for the link.
Sue
City by the Sea, TX
Treegreenwood: What a wonderful situation you have! Your description is so vivid I was there watching those little beauties swoop near my face.
When I was a kid living on a farm we used to have outside lights near the barn and I remember swallows swooping at bugs in the lights at night also.
Curtwelling: I plan to order some nest cups today!!! Thanks for the link.
Sue
City by the Sea, TX