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Barn Swallows


By Linda Marie Glass Ward In the course of my conversations with other barn


swallow enthusiasts, many have asked, “Where did they nest before there were barns?”. In one of my first barn swallow articles I wrote,


“Barn Swallows are called swallows because of their abil- ity to swallow insects while flying. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. They commonly choose nest sites near humans and livestock instead of natural sites. It is believed that before barns were common in North America they nested on cliffs especially under over- hangs, and they may have nested in Native lodges before Europeans settled here. As a matter of course they have been in decline since old barns have become redundant and dilapidated. First they (barns) are vacated, then they are torn down.” Before Europeans settled here in North America, the


entire continent was teeming with wildlife suited to their own specific habitat. Wood land birds nested in woods, and birds of the plains and waters nested in their respective environments. No one knows for certain how many people lived in


North America before the Europeans came, but recent es- timates are much larger than previously believed. In the book, The Native Population in 1492, by William M. Denevan the high estimate is 114 million and the low is 8 million. There may have been many man made, wooden structures for birds to nest in. It is possible that the barn and cliff swallow populations were secure, nesting in long- houses and wigwams, especially since Natives abandoned the structures because of their semi nomadic lifestyle. Although, our First Nations people had also caused human disturbances, such as, the clearing of land to grow


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crops, and building of large communal homes, these ef- forts were largely localized and temporary. Native settle- ments did not compare in size and effect to those of the European settlers. You may have learned in history class that the lucra-


tive trade in beaver pelts spurred exploration, and eventu- ally the colonization of Canada. After the beaver was extirpated from much of the country the Europeans set their sights on the vast tracts of timber. The forests seemed endless. Man had not learned any lesson in conservation from


the loss of the beaver. They cut down the giant white pines and red pines first, and floated them on the waterways to sawmills and into the holds of ships. Then, the building of the railroad made it possible to harvest heavier deciduous trees as well. As the forests were felled and burned, most of the


land was turned into farm land. Billions of woodland birds lost their homes. When the countryside was divided into hundred acre parcels and a house and bank barn were erected, grassland birds and barn and cliff swallows sud- denly found ideal habitat. Their populations most likely increased. In the mid nineteen hundreds the family farm was the most common rural feature. As well as a large family, the farm usually contained a mixture of farm ani- mals, providing a variety of insects for all six swallow species native to Ontario. In this way the populations of forest birds gave way


to the populations of barn and cliff swallows and all the grassland birds such as killdeer, meadowlarks, and bobolinks. Sand and gravel pits provided habitat for bank and


rough winged swallows. Formerly they only had nested in riverbanks and sand dunes. Purple martins and tree swallows relied on hol-


low trees for natural nest sites. Tree swallows dis- covered hollow fence posts, and entered through a hole in the side. Purple martins became popular backyard birds, and people built elaborate apart- ment buildings to attract them. Purple martins have become entirely reliant on man made structures for nest sites. Barn and cliff swallows moved from their natu-


ral cave and cliff sites, into barns and other out- buildings. Cliff swallows commonly nest under concrete bridges. Occasionally you will find a barn swallow nesting there as well, in a big flock of cliff swallows. It is possible that their populations were not very large until America was settled by Euro- peans. Certainly barn swallows have proven them-


selves a very adaptable species, nesting as far north as James Bay after permanent buildings were erected there. Barns, outbuildings, picnic pavilions and veran-


das provided the shelter barn swallows needed for over 100 years. Now, ceilings are clad in steel, alu- minum or plastic, the old barns have decayed and fallen, and no one wants birds pooping in gazebos and picnic shelters. Even the caves are occupied by pigeons, an introduced species. The hollow trees have starlings in them, another introduced species, and the English house sparrow will enter a tree swallow box to kill nestlings or adults to build their own nest. Fence posts are few and far between, often made of steel or plastic. Although this sounds like very bad news, there


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is still hope for swallows in Canada because they are still a common bird. Although their population is declining, with some help they will easily re- cover. For more information about swallows, and to re-


ceive free barn swallow shelves or tree swallow box plans, please contact Linda Marie Glass Ward on Facebook or call 519 327-4541. And please join Barn Swallow Loft and All Things Swallows UK and SOSSSH two British groups also dedicated to swallows.


Post Script: Is there anybody out there, who would like to start a Barn and Cliff Swallow Society? That is why the bluebird has made a complete comeback. There are bluebird societies all across North Amer- ica.


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