A couple of locals that entertain us most days are the violet green swallows - top two photos - and the rock wren - bottom. The song of the latter is a joy to hear while the swallows never cease to amaze with their aerial acrobatics!
We have barn swallows on the north Oregon coast where I have a condo. A few years ago, they built a nest on our back deck. We couldn't use it from April on, because the parents would dive bomb us. We had a grill there, which we had been using for several years. By the time we discovered the nest, the bird poo had destroyed the cover as well as the paint on the propane tank.
We went to the beach for the Fourth of July weekend anyway. I will never forget how noisy it was outside. There were barn swallow nests throughout the condo buildings. The babies had grown and were getting ready to leave the nest. With around 4 fledglings per nest and two adults, it was quite a racket. The babies were so cute (swallows look as if they have smiles on their faces) perching on the edge of the nest, seeming to want to take flight but afraid to.
Then all at once around 10:00 AM you could see swallows swirling through the air, as if some alarm had gone off. The young swallows landed a few times on roofs and gutters, then nothing. It was so quiet. They had all gone as if they had never been there. What I loved was that they fledged on the Fourth--aka Independence Day.
Okay that was a long story, but I had to share it. I learned to love the birds, but when it happened a second year in a row, we stapled netting to the top of the deck, and we haven't had a problem since.
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteWe have barn swallows on the north Oregon coast where I have a condo. A few years ago, they built a nest on our back deck. We couldn't use it from April on, because the parents would dive bomb us. We had a grill there, which we had been using for several years. By the time we discovered the nest, the bird poo had destroyed the cover as well as the paint on the propane tank.
We went to the beach for the Fourth of July weekend anyway. I will never forget how noisy it was outside. There were barn swallow nests throughout the condo buildings. The babies had grown and were getting ready to leave the nest. With around 4 fledglings per nest and two adults, it was quite a racket. The babies were so cute (swallows look as if they have smiles on their faces) perching on the edge of the nest, seeming to want to take flight but afraid to.
Then all at once around 10:00 AM you could see swallows swirling through the air, as if some alarm had gone off. The young swallows landed a few times on roofs and gutters, then nothing. It was so quiet. They had all gone as if they had never been there. What I loved was that they fledged on the Fourth--aka Independence Day.
Okay that was a long story, but I had to share it. I learned to love the birds, but when it happened a second year in a row, we stapled netting to the top of the deck, and we haven't had a problem since.
Kathie Kerler