[NatureNS] Cliff Swallows

Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2018 08:31:12 -0300 (ADT)
From: "rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca" <rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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      of like we witnessed a few decades ago.  It is unusual for them
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  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Hi Donna and All</span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Its nice to read about the Swallows - r=
eminds me of home!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Not in NS but not far away.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">We had up to 50 head of cattle and ther=
e had been cattle on<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">the farm for generations. The Barn Swal=
lows came in side and the Cliff<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Swallows nested on the eves of the buil=
dings. When they built the barns they<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">put a board under the eves for the Clif=
f Swallows to nest on. And the cattle<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">were watered at a pump in the yard. Of =
coarse there was a lot of water<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">got spilled around the trough and the c=
ows hoofs make a great paste<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">with a little manure for the swallows.<=
br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">There was so many swallows the cat didn=
&#39;t dare cross the yard!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">On the bank at the bottom of the field =
was a colony of Bank Swallows.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Clouds of them and terns on the beach. =
The terns would harass you if<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">you walked on the beach. The water ther=
eabouts have a lot of Silversides.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Good for the terns!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Someone let out skunks that they were f=
arming for fur and the price<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">dropped. They soon exterminated the ter=
ns and Bank Swallows and<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">the change in farming decreased the num=
ber of Cliff and Barn Swallows.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Mosquitos and flies loved cows and swal=
lows loved mosquitos! The mosquitos<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">loved humans so they never bottered me =
much even to today!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for your update - enjoy the summ=
er<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Paul<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <blockquote style=3D"position: relative; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: =
10px; border-left: solid 1px blue;" type=3D"cite">
   On June 23, 2018 at 10:03 PM Donna Crossland &#60;dcrossland@eastlink.ca=
&#62; wrote:
   <br/>
   <br/>=20
   <p>Hi Nancy:&#160; I was delighted to take Ally Manthorne on a swift (as=
 in &#39;quick&#39;) &#34;swift tour&#34; of nesting swifts in barns in Eas=
t Dalhousie and Cherryfield a few weeks back.&#160; We were surprised to di=
scover the barn swallow nest built over top of the swift nest.&#160; This i=
s new construction this year.&#160; Dr Cindy Staicer and I examined that ne=
st last year, and I believe it had been active.&#160; I haven&#39;t been ba=
ck to see whether the swifts (which hadn&#39;t started to nest in any of th=
e barns at that point) will build a new nest or move elsewhere.&#160; The t=
rouble is that subsistence farming is pretty well terminated in the area an=
d barns are falling down, as you well know.&#160; I will continue to try an=
d convince a few others who own barns to open up their hay loft window.&#16=
0; Spread the word if you can.&#160; (We were successful with one barn in C=
herryfield, and it is now occupied by swifts once again.)&#160; My guess is=
 that <span style=3D"text-decoration: underline;">any </span>barn in that a=
rea would offer a welcome nest site to the swifts.&#160; (Goodness knows th=
ere are few trees remaining to consider, and chimneys are now lined.&#160; =
Where are they to nest?)</p>=20
   <p>The barn in the photo is the old Sleigh barn located across from Flos=
sy Wright&#39;s place.&#160; It&#39;s not kept open deliberately for the bi=
rds but there is a growing colony of cliff swallows inside, sort of like we=
 witnessed a few decades ago.&#160; It is unusual for them to be inside the=
 barn, quite correct.&#160; But this barn has a huge open door at the back =
and that seems to make the difference to the birds.&#160; It is more open t=
o the outdoors than other barns.&#160; The barn had been used more recently=
 than most for llamas and horses.&#160; If you go, you may want to knock on=
 the door of the house across the road and let them know why you are there.=
&#160; </p>=20
   <p>I will be in East Dalhousie early tomorrow afternoon at my mother&#39=
;s house if you want to check out some &#34;barn swifts&#34;.&#160; I assum=
e they a