Birds

One of the least satisfying aspects of dismantling the barn is the loss of habitat for birds. When we first arrived at the barn there were dozens of swallows flying everywhere. We also found multiple robins' nests. Since we knew that later broods would not survive, we have been removing nests we find as soon as the babies leave to discourage reuse this season.

Most of the swallows have now left with only two nests lost with either eggs or babies in them. About a month ago a nest was lost because the joist on which it was built just fell over after the boards on top had been removed. The joist had either never been nailed to the beams or the nails had rusted away. In either case, the nest fell with three or four eggs in it. There was nothing we could do.

Last week, though, we were luckier. Even though I had recovered each active nest we found with boards after removing the floor over them, once the roof was removed, last weekend's rain weakened the last swallows' nest and it fell to the ground. This was probably the first water to touch that spot in 130-plus years.

Fortunately I found the nest soon after it dropped. We had plenty of scrap wood, and enough reuseable nails, so I built a quick and dirty nest box on a post high up under a beam and covered it with another wider board.

I put the remains of the nest on the ledge, mostly mud and feathers, and then put in the four babies, each with its first tiny feathers. It might have helped that I was wearing work gloves, so I never actually touched the babies. Happily, the parents found it and continued to feed them! In fact, about 10 swallows swarmed around the nest for the rest of the day, and occasionally over the next few days I was there. Swallows are very protective and constantly swooping and chirping at us as we work near their nests.

See "The three amigos" picture below.

Yesterday, as I was trying to get a closer picture of them in their makeshift roost, of the remaining three who had not yet flown, two of the babies took to the air for the first time. The first of the four had apparently already flown successfully. That left one, and when we left Sunday after 7 PM, he (or she, how would I know?) was still there, occasionally flapping his wings and trying to get the parents' attention. They had essentially abandoned him, but must have had a change of heart since they were again feeding him when we left. He should be gone before the next trip to the barn.

That leaves just one robins' nest to go. Both of those parents are feeding their four babies, at least that's how many eggs there were as seen from the roof last week. If all goes well, they'll be gone before we remove the purlins over their nest.