36/ DECEMBER 2021 THE RIDER Ayr, Ontario


Barn Swallows, Interesting Folks


As well as from my column in The Rider, I have re-


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ceived calls from many barn swallow lovers by placing classified advertisements in three publications that reach rural dwellers. They are; The Brotherhood Journal, an old order Mennonite newsletter, the Ag Buyer’s Guide and Better Farming. These classified ads garnered wonderful phone conversations!


Here are some examples: I had several conversations with Selema, a Mennon-


ite school teacher who brought the information to the meetings of the teachers in August 2021. We are hoping to encourage the other teachers to make school curriculum so that the youth can help barn swallow populations in their families’ barns. Bill, who owns a place between Arnprior and Ren-


frew did not want his barn swallows nesting above his new truck, and was very happy when they put a nest a few feet away. I found out from him that hay treated with parasitic acid burned horses’ lips in Florida. He feeds “bag after bag


advised her to find one, and I looked on line for one. After we hung up, she continued the search. In October I spotted her on the road and inquired about the baby swallow. Nicole then told me that upon discovering the rehabilita- tion centres were too busy, she decided to try to raise the little bird on her own. She fed it mealworms for two weeks. Then it flew away! My favourite caller so far may be Fred (or Alvin) (or


Fred). Fred phoned me in March before the swallows ar- rived. Fred bragged about having six nests under his ve- randa roof alone, and many more in his barns and outbuildings. I have three pages of notes from my conver- sations with him. Seventy eight years ago he learned to drive on the highway in a 1924 Durant. I learned all about his many careers, years of truck driving, and his love of Percheron horses.


of bird feed” to his other backyard birds. Amos, another Mennonite had no idea that barn swallows were to be protected until he was working in a construction crew near Caledon. Hired to renovate an old barn, owned by city folk, the crew was instructed not to disturb the swallow nests. Very carefully they replaced the floor boards so the young swallows were not harmed. Jack called to brag about the swallow population in his old bank barn near Rockwood outside Guelph. Although his barn swallows fly out of the barn as soon as he enters and he has starlings nesting upstairs in his barn, he has more barn swallows than ever before. He once had Limousin and Charolais cattle. He also feeds three crows his table scraps. I got a call from Alvin, from Perth and Lanark county


one hour west of Ottawa who told me he had no swallows any more. In the past he had cliff swallows under the eaves of his old bank barn and many barn swallows inside. He gave me the story of his life, and informed me that modern Mennonites were buying up farmland in his area. He phoned me several times and was very exited to announce that he indeed had one pair of barn swallows. His Three B.’s are the Birds, the Bees and the Bible. Alvin may be my favourite caller. George, from tobacco country near


Norwich Ontario south of Woodstock, had no shortage of barn swallows there. Usually fif- teen nests produce two or three clutches each! He informed me that chimney swifts used to nest in the tobacco kilns. I guess the tobacco farmers did not fire up those kilns till after the young swifts had fledged, or that activity would be fatal for the birds. After talking to Joyce a few times I


arranged to deliver and install several tree swallow boxes on her farm on the Bruce Penin- sula just south of Chatsworth. She loaned me a very nice horse. We went for a nice trail ride from her place through the forest there. She had several very successful barn swallow nests in her old bank barn. And those tree swallow boxes I installed were immediately occupied by tree swallows and blue birds. Kathy from Petrolia had four ap-


proved swallow structures (Her husband built them.) on her property. They were built to re- place an old barn that they tore down. Disap- pointingly, after three years, barn swallows did not move in to those structures. I have heard and observed the same regarding these struc- tures. Lisa, another bird expert says the same, and the structures I have looked in are also va- cant. Occasionally a robin may nest in one, if you are lucky. Nicole, a young woman who lives


across the road from our farm phoned me this summer because she found a hatchling barn swallow and wanted to know what to do with it. Although I felt that bird rehabilitation facil- ities would not bother with a barn swallow, I


I hear as much about people’s lives as I do about the


birds they host or miss. And the calls continue to come even though the barn swallows have migrated from Canada in August and September. Any time of year is a good time to make barn swal-


low habitat. In spring before the birds arrive is an optimum time because they will be looking for nesting sites. In sum- mer, the birds fledging in July will need new locations. In late summer when the birds are migrating they will be scouting for possible nest sites as they migrate. In fall and winter, when spare time may be plentiful, is a good time to build and install little shelves too. Please contact The Barn Swallow Carpenter, Linda Marie Glass Ward on Facebook or by telephone 519 327-4541.


Gail, from Brant County, wrote this poignant para-


graph on Barn Swallow Loft; Facebook group. With Gail’s permission I close with it; “When we bought this farm over 20 yrs ago, there were some nests in the main barn and run-in sheds. Over the years the numbers of nests has increased, and we have put up little shelves, clay cups and all kinds of enticements for them. The day the first ‘scout’ arrives at the barn is a celebration for us, with happy tears. And then over the next days and weeks our barns are filled with their swooping and chattering, and the sky above is filled with their graceful flight. As the season progresses, and the 2nd batch of babies poise on the edge of their nests, we know they re getting ready to leave us. And one morning, without a word of farewell, the barn is silent. The sky above me empty of their swooping flight. Another silent tear, as I wish these little angels farewell, safe trav- els, come home soon.”


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