No. 104, June, 2009
Journal
Swooping Swallows
By Delores Miller
It is summer time, finally here on the farm in Wisconsin. While we no longer 'farm', i.e. dairy cows, the barn is still standing. We have a two-story barn, the bottom basement is a stone wall about 12 feet high, where the cows were housed, 40 stanchions, calf pens, milk house and feed room. The upper wooden part of the structure, hip roofed, thirty feet high. Big enough to hold 10,000 bales of hay and straw.
Since the bottom of the barn is empty, the swallows have claimed it as their own. Fifty or so birds come the end of April and stay until August. New and rebuilt nests, some even double or triple for the ones who practice polygamy. Open doors on the ends and side allow for straight shots.
Our farm buildings are spread out on three acres of open land, with few trees. This is ideal for the barn swallows, it allows them to swoop up and down with open mouths catching mosquitoes, flies, bugs. Never sit on the grass trying to find worms
We sit on the open porch, enjoying the entertainment these birds provide - descending, plummeting, diving. And sometimes a cat condescends to visit the farm, the birds are on alert, dive bombing the animal until it leaves the farm.
Also this year we have other birds building nests, robins, purple martins, sparrows, finches, black birds, doves, pigeons, sea gulls, cranes. Entertainment for free. The excrement on motor vehicles is a mess to clean. In fall we sweep into a wheel barrow and spread on the garden.
Swooping barn swallows, we enjoy in summer on the farm.
