Can’t wait. The barn is so quiet, then when our 15 or 20 (or more) pairs come it is like instant chatter. I feel like they are telling me about their travels 
I have always wanted to mark ‘our’ birds to see if the babies come back to us also.
dotneko, you have 15-20 pairs! That is wonderful. Barn swallows make a barn - their chatter, all the babies and all the bugs they eat. When barn swallows pick your barn to live, you know you have a good place as they are said to bring luck.
None yet-- all “our” birds seem late to arrive this year, which seems surprising given the relatively mild winter.
I did see my first bat of the season this week, so they’re starting to wake up.
[QUOTE=Trails;8590678]
dotneko, you have 15-20 pairs! That is wonderful. Barn swallows make a barn - their chatter, all the babies and all the bugs they eat. When barn swallows pick your barn to live, you know you have a good place as they are said to bring luck.[/QUOTE]
Easily that number in the main barn. The barn cat only comes out at night when they arrive for the summer. I had a few try to fledge too early and found three in the sawdust. We hung an easter basket from the ceiling and they stayed a week in there before trying again. Wish we had gotten pictures of them sitting on the edge of their basket while the parents fed them.
[QUOTE=dotneko;8590577]
Can’t wait. The barn is so quiet, then when our 15 or 20 (or more) pairs come it is like instant chatter. I feel like they are telling me about their travels
I have always wanted to mark ‘our’ birds to see if the babies come back to us also.[/QUOTE]
I feel just like you…and YES the babies come back, as they have learned the migratory route. One of the babies I rehabbed and I got back with the flock before they left for the winter was back and landed on my head. Makes my heart soar to think that little thing I saved went thousands of miles for the winter, came back, and landed on my head. :yes: How wonderful is that? Can’t wait for their cheerful return!
[QUOTE=sid;8591136]
I feel just like you…and YES the babies come back, as they have learned the migratory route. One of the babies I rehabbed and I got back with the flock before they left for the winter was back and landed on my head. Makes my heart soar to think that little thing I saved went thousands of miles for the winter, came back, and landed on my head. :yes: How wonderful is that? Can’t wait for their cheerful return![/QUOTE]
That explains why our yearly census is growing exponentially.
Saw the first one this evening! Actually, I heard him first. He/she flew around the barn a few times and left. Can’t wait for them all to return.
We have them in CT. They had my horse bouncing off the walls of the indoor on Saturday.
I absolutely adore this yearly thread!
No swallows yet in Southern Ontario. The f@&)ng English sparrows are currently squatting in some of the swallow nests, it will be nice to have that riff raff move along!
[QUOTE=sid;8591136]
I feel just like you…and YES the babies come back, as they have learned the migratory route. One of the babies I rehabbed and I got back with the flock before they left for the winter was back and landed on my head. Makes my heart soar to think that little thing I saved went thousands of miles for the winter, came back, and landed on my head. :yes: How wonderful is that? Can’t wait for their cheerful return![/QUOTE]
Oh wow! Well done. What was that process? How did it know how to catch insects when you released it? Did the parents recognize it and teach it when you let it go? It surely had imprinted on you to land on your head after migrating away. Wow!
How did I miss this thread?! We’re big swallow lovers here! They arrived night before last in Northern Sonoma County in California. I’m always amazed at how they just show up overnight–and they leave the same way. Poof!
[QUOTE=Kachina;8594584]
Oh wow! Well done. What was that process? How did it know how to catch insects when you released it? Did the parents recognize it and teach it when you let it go? It surely had imprinted on you to land on your head after migrating away. Wow![/QUOTE]
When I first started rehabbing babies that had fallen out of their nest (and could not determine which nest they fell from and could not safely put it back), I was concerned about the bug-eating thing too.
I talked to a professional rehabber and she said swallows just “suck in” bugs as they fly. It’s instinctive. Much like a Baleen Whale sucks in plankton. So the parent doesn’t “teach” them to catch bugs. They automatically do it. Interesting, eh?
[QUOTE=PhoenixFarm;8594595]
How did I miss this thread?! We’re big swallow lovers here! They arrived night before last in Northern Sonoma County in California. I’m always amazed at how they just show up overnight–and they leave the same way. Poof![/QUOTE]
Yes, and it’s so sad when they go. The barn is suddenly TOO quiet. 
[QUOTE=Kachina;8594584]
Oh wow! Well done. What was that process? How did it know how to catch insects when you released it? Did the parents recognize it and teach it when you let it go? It surely had imprinted on you to land on your head after migrating away. Wow![/QUOTE]
Forgot to say. No…parents did not recognize. Remember, when I’ve “saved them” many barely have pin feathers, just fuzz. I feed the mealworms, soaked in a light solution of water/bird vitamins with a hemostat. Once they’re feathered in an look like they’re about ready to fly, I take them back to the barn to fly in and out with the flock. They learn from the flock. But when they come back into the barn in the evening, the “orphan” finds me and I lock it up for the night since it has no nest to hang out next to.
That sure must be a lot of work! I do a walk around the barn just past dusk when I know the nests are fledging and pick up any little ones that are fence sitting and didn’t make it back in for the night. They’re zonked out by then and are easy to get from behind if you don’t startle them. They rest in a lined covered bucket overnight and I set the bucket in the barn the next morning and the parents find them when the birds fly up to perch. Aside from festooning all of the uprights with snake netting, hollering for Mr. Kachina to deal with the results of that-ewwww, keeping a sprinkler going outside the barn, making sure the doors are only open enough for swallows and not crows and owls and running fans to keep the air moving in the rafters, that’s about all I’ve had to do. Being there for babies coming back in to you and taking such good care-well, that’s real commitment. Kudos to you sid for being such a good citizen of the planet!
Taking care of the babies isn’t that hard – except for hourly feedings at first. But they stop eating at dusk. So it’s night an all night duty. Thank God…:lol:
Year before last I had a bad barred owl problem which was a first for me in almost 30 year. They nested right behind the barn and found an easy food source in the swallows. They ravaged the nests, so 27 pair took took off – with only 6 pair remaining. That’s why I had so few come back last year. So I started locking down like you do. The owls moved to my other creek to nest. But I’ll lock down again this year. Hopefully the swallow population will be back up this year.
That’s a heartbreaker sid. A few years ago, we had 25 pair nesting. Then the snakes came. Took me a while to figure it out. We caught three big snakes in the netting last year. The 8 nesting pairs had a better summer and I hope the population builds back up again. Keeping the owl out was much easier, again, once I figured out what was going on. The swallows, being the original cave dwellers that they are, easily handle the big doors being open just enough for them to glide through. The owl I saw was little and I assume a night hunter. Once it couldn’t get into the barn, I think the swallows were safe from it during the day. The crows are hard on the babies though when they first go out and are easy targets sitting on the fences. Hawks too of course. I don’t much care for nature sometimes. Hope you get a big rebound this summer sid.
[QUOTE=tbchick84;8594522]
We have them in CT. They had my horse bouncing off the walls of the indoor on Saturday.[/QUOTE]
Really?? What part?
I don’t expect ours for another month!
Saw my first swallow yesterday afternoon. March 29th. We are located just north of Toronto…they are baaaaaaack!
[QUOTE=cherham;8597900]
Saw my first swallow yesterday afternoon. March 29th. We are located just north of Toronto…they are baaaaaaack! :)[/QUOTE]
We are south of Toronto, and I haven’t seen our scout yet! Jealous.
