Building Unity Farm - The Barn Swallows of Unity Farm

One of the side effects of creating the orchard at Unity farm was opening about 2 acres of airspace adjacent to our pasture.  This has attracted  many new species of birds which now dance and dive in the clearing between our woodland and marsh.   Since adding the orchard we've seen a significant increase in our barn swallow population.  Throughout the day, at least 5 adults dash at high speed around their own open air playground, eating mosquitos and enjoying their social community of birds.Our barn has two sliding doors which open to the male and female paddocks.  The swallows retreat to the barn for shelter at night and during the rain.   Recently a mating pair built a nest on top of a porcelain light socket.   We use LED lightbulbs in the barn, so the socket does not get hot.   The nest is a delicate combination of mud, sticks, great pyrenees fur, and feathers from our chickens/guinea fowl, pictured above.This week, 4 swallow babies are fledging.  Two are pictured below balanced on a barn door rail.   Watching the parents feed them for the past several weeks, I've read a great deal about swallows and can now answer some lifelong questions I've had since 1975, when King Arthur first had a dialog about swallows with the guardian of the bridge.1.  Are the swallows of Unity Farm considered European or African?European swallows are migratory and are widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere.   African swallows...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - Category: Technology Consultants Source Type: blogs