Barn Swallow Nests and Babies

by Adele Barger Wilson, author of Bonding with the Barn Swallows

© 2014 Adele Wilson

Why are Barn Swallows so comfortable being near people?  Well, for one thing, they have nested in the vicinity of humans for many years.  Around 30 BC Virgil wrote:

      … the twittering swallow hangs its nest from the rafters.

This means that people have shared their homes with Barn Swallows for over 2,000 years!  These delightful little birds actually prefer to build their nests where people live.  They appreciate our help in keeping predators away, and we appreciate them for consuming insects that fly around and pester us during the summer.

And their babies are so cute!

Photo copyright 2014 Adele Wilson

The babies pictured above were hatched in June 2014 on a nearby building on the property where I live.  During 2011 and 2012, I had Barn Swallow babies right outside my door -- fourteen in all!  You can read all about them in my book, Bonding with the Barn Swallows.

Would you agree that the two Barn Swallows pictured above are in love?  This was the scene that greeted me when I opened my door early one June morning.  The pair had built the nest with the help of their friends, and now they were ready to use it.  I like to call this picture "the honeymooners".  The mama-to-be is on the right side of the nest.  She ended up laying five eggs, and the book tells all about the five babies who grew up in that nest and what happened when they left the nest to be on their own.

And the story continues into the following spring.  The nest was used again, with more babies growing up in it.  Included in the book are many photos of both the babies and the parents.

In the book I write about my intimacy with a special male Barn Swallow.  I even named him!  He actually communicated to me twice, once by twittering and another time by body language.  His body language ended up being a prophecy because two days later, I discovered what he had been trying to tell me!

It's all in the book.  You can order the paperback edition from either Amazon US or Amazon UK.

The US link is:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1494481464/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1494481464&linkCode=as2&tag=barnswalfrie-20&linkId=JNK4O4JMGK2QOCOU

and the UK link is: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonding-Barn-Swallows-Natures-Teachers/dp/1494481464/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411325390&sr=1-1&keywords=bonding+with+the+barn+swallows

The paperback edition consists of four parts, covering 2010 to 2012.  Part one is available as an ebook on Amazon Kindle.  If you live in the US and order it today, September 23, 2014, you can purchase it for only 99 cents!  That's right, only 99 cents!  But you will need to hurry because this price will be valid for only 24 hours.  On September 24, the price will go up to $1.99.  Each day the price will go up one dollar until it reverts to its regular price of $5.99 on September 28.  Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Bonding-Barn-Swallows-Introduce-Themselves-ebook/dp/B00HI9KLVY

Below is the link for the ebook in the UK.  Regrettably, it is not on sale right now, but will be in the future.  If you follow this blog, you will find out when it goes on sale.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonding-Barn-Swallows-Introduce-Themselves-ebook/dp/B00HI9KLVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1411470129&sr=8-2&keywords=bonding+barn+swallows

If you love Barn Swallows, the following would make wonderful gifts for yourself or others:

Four Barn Swallows Sitting on a Perch

(White Background)

Peel and Stick Removable Wall Decal

18 inches x 10 inches

Juvenile Barn Swallow
Peel and Stick Removable Wall Decal
Horizontal
18 inches x 13 inches

Juvenile Barn Swallow
Peel and Stick Removable Wall Decal
Vertical
24 inches x 17 inches

Barn Swallow by John James Audubon
17 inches x 23 inches
Giclee Art Print
Framed and ready to hang

All for now.  In future posts, I will share what I have learned about these precious little birds.