Swallows thwarted!

[ovrszd]

We've been having starlings find places to build nests in our barn. We have had two nests on the door track under the flashing that covers it. I'll take barn swallows any day over the mess starlings can make.

I'll agree with that. I eliminate every Starling I can.

 

[mapper]

I noticed recently an interesting thing, we have barn swallows and tree swallows around here. I put up bird houses for the tree swallows. The barn swallows like to come to our garden for dirt to build their nests and the tree swallows try to drive them off. I don't have any barn swallows in my covered shed areas anymore as well. I hadn't realized that they were that territorial, it fine by me the tree swallows are much neater than barn swallows.
Don't get me started on starlings.... my thoughts turn to the idea of a 12 guage chain gun.

 

[ovrszd]

I eliminate every tree swallow I see. They run off every other species of bird they can. Rob nest boxes and break eggs. I thought they were kinda cool when they first showed up. By the second season I was eliminating them.

 

[rswyan]

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Explained | Audubon

 

[oosik]

Around here the mosquitos are under constant attack. It's the cliff swallows in the day - little brown bats at night.

 

[ruffdog]

Around here the mosquitos are under constant attack. It's the cliff swallows in the day - little brown bats at night.

Anything that eats mosquitoes is a very good friend of my wife and I. :earth:

 

[oosik]

mapper - the mud nests under my house eves come from a mud puddle at the beginning of my driveway. This year the puddles were full of the gravel I added. They got mud from somewhere else this year.

BTW - those that build nests in the eves of the house are just the overflow from the MASSIVE swallow nesting area down the lake about 850 feet. There is a natural formation in the basaltic lava cliffs where no less than 400 to 500 swallows make their nests. You want to get CRAPPED ON - just go down there. Stand on the edge of the cliff - yell, BOO. It can be so grizzly & icky - you darn near want to jump off the cliff and fall the 40 feet into the lake to wash it all off. I reserve that specific location for people who have chosen to irritate me - ha, ha.

Thank goodness - these swallows don't use dirt from the driveway. There is plenty of good, sticky mud at the outlet of my little lake.

 

[Peter 315]

Anything that eats mosquitoes is a very good friend of my wife and I. :earth:

Same here.......:thumbsup:

 

[RichZ]

Any mess that barn swallows make is worth it, when you consider how they control mosquitos. It's easy to clean up their mess, it's not easy to control mosquitos. Same thing with bats. White nose disease has greatly reduced the numbers of little brown bats, and they are outstanding mosquito controllers.

 

[ovrszd]

Here we have the luxury of Purple Martins. Food choice is small flying insects. No mess. Very entertaining. We have seven nesting pairs this year.