A Swallow doesn’t…

Know what it’s doing.

I posted this on Facebook: “

Swallows in on my mind. They arrive here in April, usually around the third week. Some arrived earlier but we assumed they were en passage to more northerly destinations. Each year a couple in a relationship tease us by swooping in and out of the donkeys stable in a will they/won’t they set up home dilemma. A dilemma I hear you ask? Well in every nest colony I have seen the droppings appear out of all proportion to the size of the bird. On the other hand their flight display is beautiful and mesmerising in its twisting tortured insect chase.

The Swallows cope with the donkeys, but are wary of us. Again, the colonies we’ve seen are way above normal human head height in soaring barns and farm outbuildings, but would they like to nest a meter above our hat wearing anti-fall out heads. So we adopt the Steve in the village approach; his neighbours house is for sale and whenever a viewing occurs he starts and revs loudly his “big beast” motorcycle. “I want the purchaser to know that I do this, so they won’t be surprised if they move in”. So whenever we see them doing second viewing type visits we walk in and out of the stable waving our arms. They in turn sit on the fibre cable eying us up and clearly in an undecided mood. I suspect the male has several potential sites to attract the female and they do this teasing in a number of locations.

And when they are static, their disproportionate bull heads sweep backwards towards their delicate looking forked tails in a text book streamlined manner; the very best of nature’s design lab.

Update. Still puzzled as to why the happy couple (sometimes a threesome) appear to be roosting but not nesting. ChatGPT tells me:

“Swallows typically do not nest in their first year. Most species of swallows, such as the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), reach sexual maturity and begin nesting in their second year.

Here’s a quick overview:
• First-year swallows usually focus on migration and feeding. They spend this time maturing physically and socially.
• Second-year and older swallows are generally the ones that return to breeding grounds and build nests.

However, there can be exceptions:
• In some regions or under favorable conditions, a small number of first-year birds may attempt to breed.
• This is more likely if they were born early in the season, giving them more time to mature.

Having noticed where they roost, I put a platform underneath to trap their debris. Not just excrement, but mud splashings and bits that don’t adhere.

8th June. Surely if they were serious they would be nesting by now, after all they arrived at the end of April. This morning there is a lot of activity with the pair darting in and out of the stable.

14th July. Sat outside in the evening recently we noticed chattering and squealing or squawking in the stable, so we wondered if the happy couple had produced eggs.